


Slave

by phoenixrebirth88



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Comedy, Drama, F/M, Reader-Insert, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-20
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-05-27 23:29:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 52,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6304465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenixrebirth88/pseuds/phoenixrebirth88
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You get a slave for a month, but what are you going to do with him? Should you take advantage of the situation given, or should you just act as if it wasn’t happening? ReaderXWufei</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Don't own Gundam Wing or any of its characters. I'm devestated about that, but thankfully one can still dream and write fanfiction. :p
> 
> I've decided to start with uploading this story considering it's my most recent one and therefor most accurate one in spelling, ...

You were completely dead on your feet. It was so bad that you ended up stumbling the last few paces towards your door. Your bed was already calling out your name. You were completely convinced of it. Sadly, it was like this every time you had a deadline coming up. You’d always delay everything, and then the deadline whooshed passed you. It would leave you with a few sleepless nights to try and catch up. You figured it was standard by now. To your unbiased opinion, it was your publisher’s fault for thinking this time would be different. 

You groaned when you fumbled around in your purse, trying to locate your keys. When they finally turned up, you still had some trouble opening the door. Maybe you had the wrong key? You checked it again. Small, yellow key with ‘MST’ written on it. Strange, it was the right one. You tried again, this time being more successful. You breathed a sigh of relief when you managed to unlock your door. You quickly opened your door and entered your apartment. You threw your keys and purse on the small table next to the door, simply throwing the door in the lock behind you, not bothering to lock it properly. You were too tired to deal with that now. Leaving your shoes near the door, you took of your coat and left it lying on the floor somewhere between the door and the living room. You didn’t bother hanging it up. That would cost time, and time was something you didn’t like to waste right now. 

You had a bed to find and you had every intention to find it before you decided that the floor would be good enough as well. You raised your head to see where your bedroom door was located. You let your gaze move past the couch, the small table, the television, Duo, a painting of some pretty landscape, a stranger who you didn’t know but looked quite handsome, your kitchen door, another painting of the coast, your — 

You stopped moving and blinked as you looked towards your bedroom door. Had you seen that right? Was it a hallucination? You were instantly more awake then you had been when you walked into your apartment, a scowl already beginning to form on your face. 

“Duo,” you growled as you slowly began to turn towards where you had briefly seen him. 

“Took you long enough,” he teased lightly, probably sensing that you were beyond tired right now. You ignored the jibe, settling on glaring at him when you faced him again. He was casually leaning against the wall, one of his hands waving in the air. He was probably testing if you would wave back at him. Your scowl deepened. You so weren’t going to do that! Your eyes briefly shifted towards the man by his side. Instead of standing like Duo was, he was sitting on the ground. His knees were folded below him, his back straight, and his shoulders stiff, and a scowl much like your own was on his face. It was clear he didn’t come here voluntarily. 

Right after you had come to that conclusion, you came to another one. He was very handsome. He had a narrow, rectangle face with a defined, slightly pointed chin and a sturdy jaw line. His slit-like eyes were dark, almost as if they were carrying some mysterious message you weren’t meant to understand. It was clear by that characteristic alone, that he was probably from Asian descent. It was something you had always found attractive. Why was still a mystery to you, but you had stopped questioning your weird quirks a long time ago. 

His straight eyebrows gave him a perpetual expression of nonchalance. He kept his mouth closed in a thin, straight line. His black hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, revealing a wide forehead. The jacket and plain red shirt he wore over his broad shoulders did very little to hide his muscled body. His head was held high, an air of authority hanging around him that was palpable. He looked young, probably about your age if you had to guess. All in all, he was one man you didn’t mind looking at. 

“What did you do?” you questioned softly, though you were proud that there was a hard tone to your voice. You were simply too tired to raise your voice right now, and yell at Duo like he deserved. 

“I’m here to deliver him to you.” You blinked, your eyes instantly focusing on Duo again. Your glare was soon changed for a look of confusion. 

“Come again?” You were sure you had heard him wrong. Maybe it was because it had been a very long time since you had last been with a man. Yeah. You could probably blame your sexual frustration for hearing something like that. 

“We made a bet,” Duo began as his smile brightened. He inclined his head towards his friend. “He lost.” 

“I don’t see the relevance for you being here,” you simply stated. Really, you weren’t that tired. You were sure you hadn’t missed something because you had started to zone out. Duo shrugged in answer, as if you truly had missed something important. 

“I’m here because I wanted to see your face when you got my gift.” 

“Your gift?” you questioned, completely flabbergasted. He inclined his head again, motioning towards his friend. 

“He’s my gift?” 

A nod of the head was your only answer. That, and his smile widened dangerously so. You sighed. 

“You’re out of your mind, Duo,” you stated, sighing deeply. 

“You’re tired,” he stated, some worry crawling in his voice. 

“No shit,” you muttered, already raising your hand to move the loose strands of hair away from your face. 

“Another deadline?” he questioned as his eyes moved passed you, probably staring at your discarded coat. You only grunted in response, your thoughtful gaze focused on the guy that had yet to speak up. 

“How about you get some rest first. Wufei’s not going anywhere. He’s too bound by his honor to even think about going back on a deal made,” Duo stated, rolling his eyes when he mentioned his friends believes. You merely blinked when Duo began to move towards you. He hugged you briefly before moving past you. He purposefully sidestepped the place your coat was laying, briefly waving towards you as he did so. 

“Enjoy your gift!” he yelled, before he opened the door and left. You were left blinking at the now closed door. When that was done, you turned towards the other man, and did what any sane person could do in your position …You stared at him in confusion. 

“Mind explaining to me what just happened?” you questioned when it didn’t seem like he was about to do something. Really, was it that hard to understand for these people that you were too tired to deal with this?! Besides, how did Duo ever get the idea that you needed a man for a gift? Given, he was a fine man, good looking, definitely had some potential, not to mention that his shirt didn’t quite hide how muscled he probably was beneath it, … You were getting sidetracked. 

“I lost a bet.” It was hard not to get sidetracked again. Damn, but that was one fine voice! 

You sighed, somehow sensing you would have to ask the right questions to get the answers you were looking for. That also meant that this was going to cost time. You looked towards the couch. No. You couldn’t sit down. You’d only fall asleep that way. Another sigh. You shifted your weight from one foot to the other. 

“What was your bet about?” 

“If a friend of ours was dating another friend.” 

“What did you bet for?” you questioned, not bothering asking who those friends were. There was a possibility that you knew them, but that particular question could wait until after you got some sleep. The guys scowl deepened. “Duo would do my chores for a month if he lost.” 

“He won,” you began when he didn’t continue. 

“Obviously,” the man growled. You repressed a shiver when you heard his gruff response. What that voice could do to you if it was uttered in the bedroom… You shot him a tired glare instead of the heated look you wanted to give him. 

“What did he want if he won?” you questioned instead of acknowledging his words. 

“I would be a slave for one of his friends.” 

“And you didn’t think that strange?” you questioned before you could stop yourself. Really?! If this man was so confident he could’ve won that bet, he should really have started questioning himself when someone demands that for their prize. 

“I was confident in what I believed.” 

“Who was it?” When he didn’t answer, you sighed again. “Who was the friend you were speaking about?” 

“I doubt you know them.” 

“Still,” you drawled out as you raised an eyebrow in challenge. “Tell me.” 

“Relena.” 

“Let me guess,” you began as you shook your head. You had a pretty good guess about who the other one was. “Heero’s the other one?” 

“You know them,” he stated rather than asked. You nodded your head anyway. 

“He got you good,” you muttered before turning and actually deciding to pick up your coat. You suddenly felt as if you weren’t going to bed for quite some time yet. “Duo saw them together not that long ago.” 

“What?!” To say the man was angered by that was an understatement. “He tricked me!” 

“Seems like it,” you told him, moving further towards your door. You opened it as you looked back at him. He was standing now, his eyes narrowed in disbelieve, probably because Duo had tricked him. It would be a shame to see him go. Then again, if he left, you could at the very least admire another, perhaps even better view. There was a small smirk on your lips now, and as soon as you realized it, you quickly forced it away. 

“Now you can leave.” He didn’t move. You waited a bit longer, but when he still didn’t move, you sighed and motioned towards the door. “I said you could leave.” 

“Even if he tricked me, I still made that bet, and I’m still tied to the consequences.” 

“I release you from those consequences.” 

“Only Duo can.” You blinked a few times, wondering why this man was so stubborn about this. 

“I’m giving you a way out of this,” you told him, waiting for him to realize it and actually leave. Yet again, he didn’t move. You slammed the door shut and stalked back towards him. 

“I can assure you that I can make your life as my slave a hellish experience. Your window of opportunity is closing,” you warned him as you stopped right before him. As you looked up at him, you realized he was a head taller than you. It was another thing that spoke in his favor. You always liked it when a man was taller than you. Shaking your head to dispel those thoughts, you focused back on the current issue. 

“If you wish to do so,” he merely stated. “I’m bound to honor the consequences of that bet.” 

“Honor is nothing but a meaningless word,” you growled, about ready to pull your hair out. Your words clearly angered the man for his eyes narrowed further. His scowl, too, proved to you that he was displeased. “What is honor to you if you end up in a position of being one’s slave?” you continued to question, completely ignoring his anger. 

“If you don’t know, then I pity you,” he spoke calmly. You blinked. You could clearly see the anger in his eyes, and yet, his words were so calm. You narrowed your eyes, wondering who exactly this man was. 

“Your name,” you simply stated. 

“Chang Wufei,” he answered, not breaking eye contact. You nodded in response. “Very well. Call me [Name]. You may be my slave, but that doesn’t mean that I want you here.” 

“You’ve made that clear already.” It was hard to hear if he was happy about that or not. You rolled your eyes as you turned your back towards him. 

“Good,” you muttered as you walked towards your bedroom door. You stopped before opening the door, suddenly realizing you didn’t know how long he was going to be here in the first place. “How long are you my slave?” 

“A month,” he stated. You whirled around in surprise. 

“A whole freakin’ month?!” 

He didn’t say anything, merely kept watching you in a scrutinizing way. “I’m gonna kill him,” you muttered as you rubbed your eyes in a tired motion. “Fine. Can you cook?” He nodded his head in answer. “Good. You’re in charge of the cooking, cleaning, washing and ironing. I want a home cooked meal for dinner from now until the end of the month. If you can’t make me one for dinner, you’ll make me one for lunch. Wait … Do you have a job where you need to be during the day?” 

“I’m on a three week leave.” You blinked, not quite believing someone would want to spend their three weeks of holiday being someone’s slave. 

“You’re out of your mind to spend it here,” you simply muttered. He kept staring at you, not giving anything of what he was thinking away. “And the last week?” 

“I’ll have to go to work again, but everyday that I won’t be able to be here, I’ll pay you back when I can.” 

“You’re dead set on serving me a full month,” you sighed as you shook your head in disbelief. 

“As is the deal.” 

“Still,” you whispered, frowning as you thought about it. “You can just consider that last week as a cook free week.” 

“No.” You snorted. For an involuntary man turned slave, he was very stubborn about serving you for a full month. You didn’t waste any more breath on trying to change his mind. 

“Fine. I’m going to get some shut-eye. Do whatever you want to do, but keep it quiet. I want to get at least four hours of sleep before I decide to come out again.” 

“As you wish,” he simply answered, making you frown again.

You didn’t say anything else as you opened your door and quickly slipped inside. You sighed. You were going to have one hell of a month ahead of you. You groaned as you moved towards your bed, not even bothering with your clothes. You were too drained to even think about changing or doing anything else but sleep right now. This entire fiasco hadn’t helped one bit. You swore you would get even with Duo for this. The torment he would put you in. Unbelievable …


	2. chapter 2

You yawned, already rubbing the sleep from your eyes. You were still drowsy, but you knew that if you didn’t get up now, your sleeping pattern would be completely ruined. You pushed yourself out of your bed, smiling as you remembered your dream. Saying it had been a good one would be an understatement. You briefly combed your hair with your fingers, not bothering to use a brush or actually check the mirror to see if you were presentable. You were at home, so why would you need to do such a thing?

You opened your door, blinking the last bit of sleep from your eyes when you heard someone in your kitchen. You frowned first, unsure what was going on, but then you remembered that guy, your new slave. It had a funny ring to it. Who had a slave these days? Out of the question. Still, now that you were more rested, you could definitely see the perks this new situation could offer you. Although, you doubted that your sexual frustration would be less. If anything, it would probably rise all the more. As you walked towards the small table/counter that divided your kitchen from your living room, you sat on one of the chairs. 

“Slept well?” he questioned without turning around. 

“Yeah. Thanks,” you responded. 

You smiled softly as you watched him moving about. It was a bit of a funny sight to see him wearing an apron, but it wasn’t all that bad. Besides, as he stood with his back towards you, you could actually check him out without him noticing completely. And damn, you had to admit that he definitely looked fine. 

“Dinner will be ready in ten minutes,” he stated as he turned around.

You quickly blinked and looked towards your fridge, acting as if you had been looking at it for a while now. You weren’t sure if your innocent act had worked, but he didn’t mention it, so you didn’t bother thinking further about it. You just had to be careful not to stare too often. Once or twice every hour shouldn’t be too much … Right? 

“What is it?” you questioned curiously. You frowned as you looked at what he was making. 

“Edible,” he responded simply. 

You snorted. “I’m not questioning if it’s edible. I’m asking what it is?” 

“I’ll tell you afterwards.” 

“Why?” 

He didn’t answer you, but you weren’t all that curious to find out either. If you had been, you probably would’ve pestered him further. “So,” you began as you watched him throw some rice in a pot with boiling water. “What is it exactly that you do for a job?” 

He didn’t answer immediately, making you wonder if you shouldn’t have asked it. His shoulders looked a bit stiff again, almost as if he didn’t want to discuss that part of his life. Just when you were about to tell him it wasn’t that important, he answered you. 

“I’m a Preventer.” 

Your eyes grew comically wide. 

“A Preventer? Really?” you questioned in an anxious voice. “You mean a green-suit-wearing-badge-flashing-gun-carrying kind of Preventer?” 

He raised an eyebrow as he turned towards you. 

“Is there any other kind?” he questioned dully. You shrugged. 

“Hell, yeah,” you answered as you began tapping your chin in thought. “You’ve got the look-at-me-I’m-carrying-a-gun-but-I’m-nothing-more-than-a-trainee-wannabe-Preventer, then there’s the classic bad-guy-turned-good-because-I-can-finally-legally-flash-my-gun-wannabe-Preventer. And last, but not least, there’s the I’m-actually-a-cleaner-slash-janitor-at-the-Preventor-headquarters-but-that’s-not-cool-enough-to-say-Preventer.” You blinked innocently as you offered him a soft smile, waiting for him to say anything. 

He scuffed before muttering, “Idiot.” 

Then, he turned and concentrated back on the food, doing his utmost best to ignore you. Or, so you saw it anyway. 

“Hey, I’m friends with Duo. What did you expect?” you questioned in your defense. You weren’t sure if he actually said ‘not that’, or if your imagination filled in the blank. Probably your imagination, but you couldn’t be completely sure. 

“So, you’re a Preventer,” you began again.

You paused a moment, not sure if you had his attention. When he didn’t turn around or say anything, you figured it was good enough to just go ahead and continue anyway. There was little chance he wasn’t actually paying attention. 

“You’re quite young to be an agent,” you commented in a pensive voice. What stiffness had evaporated with your teasing comment earlier quickly came back. You scowled, already having your answer before you even needed to ask the question. 

“So you’re one as well.” You snorted, wondering if you were going to meet all of them before you turned thirty. He didn’t answer, but you didn’t need him to. “I guess this time’s as good as any other to thank you then.” 

“Thank me?” he questioned. Your words clearly caught him by surprise. 

You hummed in answer while nodding your head. 

“Yeah. I’m not saying thanks for whatever you had to do to win that war, ‘cause it’s not really ethical to say that,” you blabbered as you stared at your fridge again, frowning as you wondered how you should say this without creating a mess. He turned towards you, waiting for you to say what you wanted. “I guess I just want to thank you for stopping the war. It doesn’t matter how it happened. All I know is that all things happen for a reason, and I’m a strong believer that we owe you all a lot for what you sacrificed for people you didn’t even know.” 

“You really don’t know anything if you say that.” You ignored the pain you felt when he told you that. He wasn’t angry; his eyes weren’t showing you the same storm you had seen earlier. Instead, though you might be wrong, you thought you saw regret and pain. 

“Maybe,” you answered. “But that doesn’t change how I feel about this. I was never good at explaining things, but it’s how it is. If you pilots hadn’t showed up, a lot of people wouldn’t have had to courage to stand up for themselves. If that never happened, power hungry men would still be using pain and terror to rule the world and the colonies.” 

He stared at you for a while, almost contemplating your words. You shrugged, looking away from the fridge and meeting his gaze. “I guess I just wanted to thank you for saving my life in a way.” 

The staring continued, creating a tense atmosphere. Just as you were contemplating saying something else, he nodded his head in acceptance, and turned back to the food. You sighed when that staring contest stopped. You briefly wondered why your heart was beating a bit faster than before. A frown slowly grew. Maybe you were coming down with something … 

A plate was suddenly set before you, breaking you from your thoughts. You looked down, your mouth already salivating from the delicious odors rising from it. You took a deep breath, savoring the smell. 

“It smells great,” you stated happily. You quickly took your fork and carefully tasted it. You moaned when you began chewing it.

“Delicious,” you managed to say with a mouthful. He looked mildly amused. 

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” he scolded you slightly, making you snort in amusement. 

“Get used to it,” you warned as you went for a second bite. “It’s one thing that won’t change about me,” you said before swallowing. 

He glared at you, but you realized the glare packed no heat. 

“What is it that you do?” he questioned halfway through the meal. You wondered if he was getting fed up with hearing you praising his cooking. You smirked at that thought. He did look kind off uncomfortable. 

“I’m a writer,” you said between two bites. That managed to catch his attention. 

“A writer?” You smiled when you heard the curiosity in his words. You hummed. 

“I’ve got a few books already published,” you began before you briefly stilled, lowering your fork as you realized something. You blushed slightly. 

“It’s nothing big or famous,” you quickly stated, waving your hand to emphasize your point. “Small, unknown novels,” you added in an afterthought before taking another quick bite. You were hoping he wouldn’t ask further, but his slightly narrowed eyes told you differently. 

“Like?” 

“Eh,” you hesitated. You knew that if you said any of your recent titles, he would probably realize who you were. That was something you didn’t want. Then again, there was always the off chance he didn’t read any novels. 

“What do you usually read?” you questioned, deliberately trying not to answer his question. He didn’t hide the fact that he knew that you were trying to change the topic, but he allowed it, and for that you were glad. 

“Thrillers or detective stories.” 

“That was so predictable,” you answered dully. “As if searching for clues during your real life isn’t enough. You actually want to read about those things as well?” 

He shrugged in answer. You took another bite. When you noticed his plate was already empty, you quickly began eating a bit faster. Just as you were about to put the last forkful into your mouth, he asked again. 

“What books have you written?” You quickly put the last of your food in your mouth, using the excuse of chewing to stall for time. He knew, something that began to bug you. How did you even realize he knew?! 

“Does it matter that much?” you questioned slowly. 

“Apparently it does. If it hadn’t, you would’ve answered already.” You scowled, your eyes narrowing in challenge while your lips formed a thin line. He leaned back in his chair, watching you while he waited for his answer. 

“You’re supposed to be my slave,” you muttered. “Not my interrogator.” 

He smirked, not reacting otherwise. You knew you could refuse answering him, but that would create a rift between you both, something you somehow didn’t want. You sighed, dropping your shoulders in faked despair. 

“Fine. ‘A lonely boathouse’, ‘Witch in the mountain’, stuff like that,” you stated with a careless shrug. “Nothing special, nor all that known.” 

He was frowning slightly, as if he was remembering something. He didn’t press it, though, and you weren’t about to give him the time to think about it any further. 

“So. What was this?” you questioned as you indicated the now empty plate in front of you. 

“Chicken stew with carrots and rice.” 

“That’s all?” you questioned, slightly disappointed. It smelled and tasted like so much more. 

“Basically,” he said with a shrug. 

“Well, if that’s how you cook with something that basic, I’ll be sad to see you leave after this month’s over.” You hesitated for a few seconds before turning towards him with a sad pout and a pleading look on your face. “You won’t happen to be interested in a job as a personal cook in the weekends, would you?” 

He snorted before shaking his head. “I’m used to Duo’s ways. Do you really think you can out win him?” 

“Hell yeah,” you answered. You suddenly smirked, wanting to jibe him slightly. “I wasn’t the one who lost from him, remember?” 

You actually enjoyed it when he glared at you again. Though these conversations were quite pleasant, there was something in his gaze when he glared that made you feel different, slightly on edge. It was like holding a piece of red cloth in front of a bull. The adrenaline was already making its way through your system. 

He, however, simply collected the dishes without saying another word to you, and turned back to the kitchen. You soon heard the sound of running water, indicating he was about to wash the dishes. You laughed at his expense before you moved towards your couch. Once there, you simply sat down and watched some television. Strangely enough, you were enjoying the sounds coming from the kitchen. 

You had been living by yourself for a very long time already. As you sat there listening, you were suddenly struck by how lonely it was by yourself. You sighed before forcing your thoughts to focus on the television instead. Some things were better left alone. After ten minutes of surfing through the different channels, you finally decided to watch the news. Halfway through it, Wufei sat down in the couch to your right. No words were spoken until the news ended, and that only happened because you decided to open your mouth. 

“When are you going home?” It took a few minutes before your answer was offered. 

“I’m not.” You stilled, your gaze slowly turning towards him to gauge his reaction. 

“Explain?” you simply stated. 

“Part of the deal,” he muttered. He motioned towards a small duffle near one of the corners of the room. You blinked, wondering how you could’ve missed seeing that. 

“So,” you began slowly, almost as if your brain still needed the time to actual understand what he was saying. “You’re going to stay here for the entire month?” 

“Yes.” 

“Remind me to hide the body after I kill him,” you muttered, narrowing your eyes in contemplation. 

“Which place is better?” you questioned as you tilted your head slightly. “The park, or one of the local building sites. I think if I can manage to kill him before they start with the first concrete layers, no one will be able to find him for quite some time.”

He stared at you in contemplation, probably wondering if you were serious or not. 

“You do remember I’m a Preventer, right?” he questioned, obviously doubting if you were sane. You snorted. 

“All the better. I can plead insanity while blaming you for being my accomplice.” 

He snorted, clearly amused by your obvious lack of insight. “I’d sooner arrest you for murdering someone, although I do admit it would make my life a little less troublesome if I let you proceed with it.” 

“As if you won’t miss him,” you simply said, changing the channel to a documentary about lions. A sudden idea popped into your head. “Do you think I could claim innocence if I take him to a circus and push him into a cage with lions?” 

“The bones will give you a problem,” he commented, finally deciding to humor you. You shot him a quick smirk, glad he was indulging you. 

“True,” you muttered, thinking further on the hypothetical plan. “But if I can prove I didn’t do it, I can still walk.” 

“How are you going to prove that?” he questioned, clearly not convinced that you could manage that. 

“I don’t know,” you said as you shrugged. “I can’t pay someone for killing him ‘cause the money trail would lead you coppers back to me.” 

“Coppers?” he questioned, clearly amused by the name you had give the local law enforcers. You smiled sheepishly, not offering him an explanation. 

“Okay,” you began as you couldn’t come up with a decent idea that could keep you from being on the list of possible suspects. “Feeding him to the lions is not a smart idea if I want to stay out of jail.” You hummed in thought. “How about the earlier mentioned ‘dump him on a construction site’ plan?” you rhetorically suggested. 

Before you could receive an answer, the phone began ringing. 

“Get that for me, won’t you?” you stated sweetly. You offered him a big smile when he grumbled and got up. 

“[Name]’s residence,” he stated as he finally answered the phone. 

You almost laughed when his expression darkened, clueing you in on who could possibly be on the other end of that line.

“Don’t think I won’t get you back for this, Maxwell,” Wufei growled as he moved towards the couch again. “I know you cheated.” 

There was a pause before he sighed. “Still,” he shot back, clearly not happy with the response he had gotten. “I will get you for this!” 

Whatever Duo said to that was lost when Wufei passed the phone to you. 

“What do you want?” you questioned as your eyes focused on the documentary again, a small smirk lifting your lips as you watched them chase a gazelle. You could already see it before you, Duo running in circles in a small cage, the lions chasing him in their hunger for fresh meat. Too sad you weren’t actually planning on doing such a thing. 

“I’m just checking in on you. So,” he drawled, his tone clearly suggesting something else than what was going to come out of his mouth. “What were you doing? Nothing too indecent, I hope.” 

You snorted. Of course it was Duo who would think of such a thing. 

“To be honest, I was contemplating your death,” you answered joyfully. Wufei snorted in response to your answer. 

“What do you have so far?” he questioned, curious about the death you had created for him. 

“I just ruled out death by lion because Wufei helpfully pointed out that there was no way I could get away with that without being caught at some point. Now, I’m back to contemplating dumping your body at a construction site.” 

“What?” Duo said, clearly acting shocked for your sake. “You would do that to me? And here I thought that I was such a good friend, giving you such a great new boy toy and all.” 

“You did not just say that,” you muttered, already groaning as some pretty interesting thoughts jumped to life in your mind. 

“Tell me I’m wrong then. I always thought he would be something you would like.” 

“I’m not agreeing to that.” 

“You’re not denying it either,” he countered easily. You grumbled when you realized he was right. 

“Still, Duo. What were you thinking?” 

“I was thinking that it’s been too long since you dated a decent guy.” 

“I’m not dating him,” you quickly told him. He, however, ignored it. 

Wufei shot you a curious look, but you dutifully ignored him. If he knew half the conversations you usually held with Duo, you were sure you would be dropping through the ground in embarrassment. 

“It’s been ages since you last brought a date home.” 

You suddenly hated the fact that you always told him about your dates and who of those had actually been good enough to make it back to your apartment. Why did you always feel you could tell him everything? It wasn’t working in your favor right now. 

“You think having a slave for a month will change that?” you questioned in a tone that clearly questioned his sanity. 

“Not really. Though maybe I did it as much for Wufei’s sake as for yours. Besides, if you do end up sleeping together, he might finally be cured from his stuck-up ways.” 

“How do you figure that?” you questioned, suddenly not following his logic anymore. 

“He needs someone to take care of.” 

“You can’t get that by what you’re suggesting,” you stated. 

You didn’t dare state it as clearly as he had said it for fear that Wufei would get what you were talking about. It wasn’t such a bad thing if he knew. After all, you could blame it on Duo. But, some part of you still wasn’t all that comfortable with the current topic and its potential revelation. 

“No, but it’s a start. It’s a proven fact that attachments can grow after you’ve shacked someone.” 

“First, you better never mention it like that again. I mean, that sounds completely wrong. And two, do you think that someone is me? You know how I feel about such ideas,” you growled, not entirely acting angry. A part of you really was offended by the idea that you needed to be taken care off. 

“Yeah, I do. Doesn’t mean that I’m wrong about what I said. Not all of it is a bad thing, [Name]. I’m not saying you turn housewife, while he becomes alpha male and fights off other cavemen to protect you. I’m just saying that you can’t deny that everyone likes being taken care of every once in a while.” 

“Maybe,” you grumbled, knowing he was right about that. 

“Good,” he stated, clearly happy he had won. “Now don’t forget that he’s yours for the month.” 

“How can I forget that?” you questioned dully. 

“Then start seeing it more positively and use him wisely.” 

“Now you really are describing him as nothing more than a dog.” 

“Not a dog,” he shot back, his voice changing slightly. “A dog can’t share a bed with you like a man can,” he slyly commented. 

You could already see him winking at you. You blushed as your body reacted to that statement. 

“You did not just suggest what I think you suggested.” 

“I did. Just saying, don’t let this opportunity go to waste.” 

“And what do I do when this is all over?” 

“Preferably something other than regretting the fact that you didn’t take advantage of him.” 

“Really, Duo. Sometimes I wonder how you’re my friend.” 

“Because I offer you the best gifts.” 

“Try again,” you simply said before hanging up on him, his laughter the last thing you heard. You sighed before passing the phone to Wufei again. 

“What did he want?”

You snorted as you thought about what you should answer him, slowly beginning to blush. It was clear that he only got more curious when you did so. He waited, his attention patiently focused on you. 

“He suggested that I use you to your fullest potential,” you said with a brief look in his direction. 

“My fullest potential?” he repeated. His tone suggested that he had a pretty good idea about what that meant. “You didn’t seem to agree,” he stated softly after a few seconds of silence. You blinked in surprise. You thought he wouldn’t push the topic and see exactly what was said. You carefully looked at him, trying to figure out what exactly he was thinking about this. 

“I’m not a fan of fucking someone I know nothing about.” You really thought he would let it rest after that. Guess you had been wrong. It was silent for a good three minutes before he opened his mouth again. 

“Is that all there is to it?” he pressed. 

Your head shot towards him in shock. His eyes were guarded, watching your every move like a hawk. It was like he was testing you, and you didn’t like it. You narrowed your eyes in reaction, feeling a smirk pull at your lips. More than one man had cowered when you had looked at them like this. You knew you looked dangerous, and you loved how those men’s fear made you feel so powerful. 

“What would be the fun in ordering you to have sex with me?” you questioned as you forced your gaze to look away from him. You focused on the television screen instead. You could still see him at the edge of your vision. He was contemplating something, that much was clear. Your smirk grew wider, more dangerous as you opened your mouth again. 

“Besides,” you added, feeling the need to somehow make him feel uncomfortable. Duo, as you began thinking, was right about one thing. If you didn’t take full advantage of this, you might come to regret it afterwards. Then again, if you did take full advantage, you could still come to regret it. But, wasn’t it better to regret things done, then regretting things you hadn’t done? “I think you wouldn’t be all that pleasing.”

He stiffened at your insinuation, a low growl coming from his lips. It was clear that he wasn’t happy about what you had just said. 

“And why is that?” 

You laughed. He really was insulted by your insinuation. The fact that he was still questioning you further about this was slightly worrying, but you enjoyed the banter too much to quit now. 

“You wanna convince me otherwise?” you questioned as you raised an eyebrow. You turned towards him again, slowly moving from your seat and towards him. He froze, his eyes warily following your movements. You offered him a sultry smile as you approached him. 

“You’re my slave, remember,” you told him softly, whispering the words like a caress. His eyes shifted, growing slightly darker. “Now, don’t move.” 

You placed your knees on the couch on either side of him, your thighs brushing against his. You didn’t sit down though. You just kept the minimal contact you needed to keep him occupied. His hands, which were fisted until his knuckles turned white, rested on top of the arms of the couch. You slowly allowed your fingertips to touch his skin before moving them over his arms towards his shoulders. 

You placed one hand flat on his shoulder, massaging it slowly. The muscles below your hand jumped under your touch. It was clear he wasn’t all that happy about the contact. His narrowed eyes watched you as you looked at your other hand. You gently cupped his cheek, softly letting your fingers caress the skin. He clenched his jaw in reaction. 

You leaned closer, your mouth only inches away from his now. Your eyes finally gazed into his own. You smirked again as you saw the storm in them. It reminded you of the storm you had seen in them earlier this day, when Duo had dropped him off here. Only a few inches were left between your mouths, your breaths already mingling. You leaned a bit closer still, your eyes briefly shifting towards his lips. His mouth formed a thin line, another sign that he wasn’t happy about his situation. You leaned a bit closer again, nearly touching his lips with your own now. 

“It would be so easy to order you to have sex with me,” you whispered, making sure your lips barely kept from touching his as you spoke. “So easy to forget the ethical side to this gift Duo presented me with,” you continued as you allowed your hand to move over his chin, slowly moving towards his neck. 

You saw you were beginning to have an effect on him. After all, a man was by the end of the day still a man. And he, clearly, wasn’t above reacting to someone seducing him. Then, out of nowhere, you pushed yourself away from him. You stood up and moved back to your original position on your couch. He blinked in wonder, obviously surprised you hadn’t done what you were insinuating. 

“But I wouldn’t like myself if I indulged in this,” you answered him as you grabbed the remote again and changed channels. “Sex means nothing if it’s just the physical contact you thrive for.” 

You glared at the television now, stopping at a channel that was airing a local drama about some doctor’s practice. 

“I’m not sure what you think of me,” you stated, angry that you had actually enjoyed touching him. The fact that your fingers still tingled where you had touched him was proof enough of that. “But I don’t sleep with men if I don’t have some feelings towards them!” 

Nothing more was said about the matter. You knew you could’ve taken advantage of the situation. Even if you weren’t eager to have sex with an unwilling man, you could’ve stolen a kiss from him. The fact that you almost ached for it only angered you further. Why had you believed doing that had been a smart idea? Why had you even accepted Duo’s supposed gift so easily? It sounded more and more like a curse than a gift right now. 

“I don’t have a spare bedroom, and I’m sure as hell not going to share my bed with you,” you muttered when you noticed your eyes were drooping. This entire day had been one exhausting moment after the other. “You can make a bed out of this couch. I’ll give you some clean sheets you can use. The bathroom is the door next to my bedroom. I’ll leave some towels in there for you to use if you want.” 

With that said, you stood up and moved towards your bedroom. You quickly found some spare sheets and towels. Taking them, you placed them on the couch you had previously occupied. You didn’t wait to see if he could figure out how to turn your couch into a bed. The small clicks you heard when you were in the bathroom to brush your teeth told you he had managed. 

“Goodnight,” you simply said as you moved out of the bathroom. Just when you walked into your bedroom, his voice made you stop. 

“I didn’t mean to insinuate anything,” he simply stated. You somehow felt it was the closest thing to an apology you would get. You hummed in answer before closing the door behind you. You didn’t know what to think about what had just happened. You just hoped that tomorrow would bring something better.


	3. chapter 3

When you woke the following day, you were reenergized and happy. Your dreams had been soothing for once, letting you enjoy a full night’s sleep. You rose, grabbed some clothes, and made your way to the bathroom. It was only when you saw the sheets on the couch, and heard the sounds coming from the kitchen, that you remembered. You had a new houseguest. You were grumbling as you entered the bathroom. 

The quick, hot shower made you forget about any hateful feelings you harbored concerning Duo’s gift. Even the man’s words from last night had been forgotten when you re-emerged from the bathroom. You silently strolled into the kitchen, grabbed some cereal and milk, and poured yourself a decent breakfast. At least, that was your plan. When the box was nearly tipping far enough for the cereal to actually fall out of it, it was plucked from your hands. 

You blinked, not having expected something like that to happen. When you lifted your gaze, you found your unwanted new houseguest standing before you, your precious cereal in his hands. You silently stared at him a while longer, waiting for him to either give you the box back, or for him to offer you an explanation for his brash actions. When he offered neither, you stretched your arm to steal the box back. He, however, moved it out of the way. 

“Give me my cereal!” you stated, your lips pulling down at the edges to show your aversion to what he was doing. 

“Sugar isn’t good for you.” 

“Isn’t that my choice to make?” you questioned, more awake and desperately in need for the early morning sugar’s rush. 

“Didn’t you put me in charge of the cooking?” 

“But it’s morning,” you whined, trying once more to reach for your sugary box of yumminess. “And I’m used to it!” 

He placed it high on a shelf you couldn’t quite reach. You knew, because you tried fruitlessly for a good five minutes. You were about to crawl on a chair to reach it, when he simply pushed you down on it. 

“Routine or not, one should start the day with something decent,” he stated, already pulling things out of the refrigerator.

Your gaze shifted from him towards your out of reach cereal box, and then, back to him. You weren’t sure what to do now, and because you were hungry, you settled on more whining. 

“I’m hungry.” 

“It’ll be done in five.” 

“But I’m hungry now!” you helpfully pointed out, much like children do. 

You smirked when you saw him twitch, though he kept on ignoring you. Only when you decided to stand up, your cereal box in mind as your goal, did he glare at you. You froze, a mix of a confused and guilty expression on your face. You weren’t sure what to make of all of this, but you really were hungry. Then, when he motioned for you to reseat yourself at the table, you dragged yourself back towards it, sat down loudly, and let your forehead meet your kitchen table on a personal level. You grunted, not happy with having to wait. 

Although, when a plate, which smelled deliciously, was placed in front of you, you immediately forgot about waiting. When you lifted your head, you were presented with the most mouthwatering sight. There, on a plate, presented to you, were two pieces of toast, scrambled eggs on top of them, two pieces of bacon, and a freshly squeezed glass of juice. You didn’t waste time. You simply dug in, moaning in pleasure as the taste was just perfect. You never took the time to make this for yourself, never even considered it before. 

When you were finally finished, your stomach feeling pleasantly full, he asked his question, “still craving for those cereals?”

It was a jibe you ignored. Well, you tried to at least. When he took the plate away, and started rinsing the dishes, you couldn’t stop your mouth from forming words. 

“Thank you. It’s been a long while since I’ve eaten something else than cereal in the morning.” 

“A sugar dose is never a good way to start the day,” he merely pointed out. 

“So you keep saying,” you dryly shot back. 

“Duo does it too,” you muttered, feeling a need to defend your eating habits. It earned you a low grumble. 

“And look where it has led him. He’s adding more trouble to both our lives.” 

“Speak for yourself!” you suddenly shouted, your voice harsh and deep with anger. You blinked in realization when he looked at you with a slightly surprised expression. 

“I-I mean,” you trailed off, unsure how to explain your sudden outburst. Then, you hardened your eyes and straightened your back. “He’s a good friend, and you know it! You’re the lousy friend if you don’t realize that. He’s there when you need him to be, no matter what. If he enjoys life to its fullest, then I’ll cheer him on in it. And maybe, in the process of his crazy ideas, I can only hope I’ll come to enjoy it as much as he does,” you finished. 

You silently waited for his answer. He didn’t say anything, merely kept staring at you in silence, a calculating look in his eyes. It unnerved you, being watched like that. You almost began to feel like a prey. You shook your head, quickly making your escape from the kitchen. You were starting to acquire strange ideas when around him. That settled it for you. You had to get some space from him. 

You had a perfect excuse for it as well. After all, you had just finished a deadline. You always treated yourself for some shopping afterwards. Perhaps a new dress was in order. An evil smile slowly pulled at your lips. You would enjoy torturing him for the uncomfortable feeling he had bestowed you with! You coughed, awkwardly chuckling at your own strange thoughts. Then, you became aware of it. Someone was watching you. You could feel their eyes on your back. 

“Is there something you want?” you questioned without turning around. 

“Is this something you do often?” he shot back, though there was nothing in his voice that gave away what he was thinking. 

“Perhaps if you specified the problem, I could be of more help,” you told him, not understanding what he meant. 

“Spacing out in the middle of a room,” he helpfully pointed out. You blinked, finally realizing that you were indeed standing in the middle of the room. You blushed as your mind formed an image of how it must’ve looked from his side. 

“Yes,” you simply told him, quickly walking towards the phone. You grabbed it, dialed a number you knew by heart by now, and waited for that someone to pick up. Instead of a normal greeting, the first thing you heard was a big yawn. 

“Maxwell speaking,” a sluggish voice answered. 

“Really, Duo,” you scolded him, your eyes automatically moving towards the clock. It was ten in the morning, not that late in your mind. Although, in his mind, it would be too early anyway. “It’s ten already, and you’re still sleeping?” 

“What of it?” he shot back. You heard the distinctive sound of him turning around and you were sure he was still lying in his bed. 

“I reckon you don’t want to go shopping with me then?” 

“Why would I want to do that?” he questioned in a tone that questioned your sanity. 

“Oh, I don’t know,” you trailed off, your eyes settling on your newly acquired slave. “I thought you might want to gloat about something. After all, I recently acquired myself a nice help in the department of carrying bags.” 

It earned you a very amused chuckle. “I doubt he’ll let me live if you put him through that.” 

“He’ll have no choice.” 

“It wasn’t what I had in mind when I said you should use him to his fullest potential,” he told you, the hidden meaning all too clear to you. 

“Are you complaining?” you questioned, finally seating yourself on your couch. You ignored the small glare Wufei shot you. He probably knew all too well what awaited him. 

“Not if I’m redeemed from carrying your bags. Besides, I know you’re helpless without my help.” 

“I’m not helpless,” you pointed out. “It’s just a hell of a lot more fun to make you think so.” 

“So you keep saying,” he dryly answered, conveying that he didn’t believe a word you were saying. “What are you in the mood for?” 

“A dress,” you answered thoughtfully. “Although, I could be persuaded to forget about the dress, and simply go to ‘Intal Disclosure’,” you helpfully pointed out. That got a more wakeful reaction out of him. 

“You would?” 

“All for the sake of the image, my friend,” you told him. You knew he would agree to go with you now. After all, ‘Intal Disclosure’ was a shop that sold many leather outfits. Duo had been trying to get you to go there for two months already. 

“Fine, on one condition,” he stated, and you felt a bit wary about it. 

“Which is?” 

“You agree to try on some leather pants.” 

“…” You hesitated, not sure if you should agree to such an idea. 

“Agree to it,” he drawled out in a sing-song voice. You sighed, slightly hanging your head. 

“Fine,” you whispered. His exclamation of victory was easily ignored. “How late should I pick you up?” you questioned, once more looking at the clock. 

“Twenty minutes.” You blinked, that was fast. He usually needed a full hour before he would even consider leaving the door. 

“And would that be for me or for the pants?” you dryly questioned. His chuckle gave him away. “The pants,” you sighed out at the same time that he offered you the same answer. 

“Fine,” you agreed. “See you in twenty.” 

As you put the phone down, and turned to stare at Wufei, you caught him looking at you with a very unpleased look. 

“What?” you innocently questioned. He grumbled something you couldn’t quite hear, but you were sure he was cursing you for what you were doing to him. You chuckled. He had it coming. 

“Consider this your punishment,” you simply stated as you stood up and moved towards your front door. 

“A punishment for what?” he questioned. The man truly sounded as if he hadn’t the faintest clue as to what he had done wrong. You narrowed your eyes as you looked at him over your shoulder, your mouth slightly turned downwards. 

“You can pick,” you began, watching him carefully. 

“Stealing my cereal, or,” you trailed off, once more meeting his gaze head on. “For insulting me last night.” 

His jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing. The mere sight of it created a surge of excitement inside of you. You quickly looked away from him. 

“Next time you try apologizing for something, I suggest you actually use the words. Maybe then, I wouldn’t be so inclined to do this,” you pointed out to him as you grabbed your coat and purse. 

And, as promised, not twenty minutes later, you stood at Duo’s door. He, surprisingly, opened after your second knock. You blinked at him, slightly surprised by his unusual energetic form this early in the morning. 

“You must really want to see me in those pants,” you dryly stated, not at all looking forward to trying them on. 

“Off course!” he merely exclaimed. “After five months of trying to convince you, I’m not going to let this chance slip me by.” 

“You’re weird,” you pointed out, waiting for him to lock his door and start this shopping trip. 

“I try,” he helpfully replied. It earned him a scoff and a glare from your newly acquired slave. 

“You should train him better, [Name],” Duo helpfully pointed out after that, a slightly sinister smile on his lips. “It looks like he’s way too wild.” 

“You sound like you have some ideas as how to achieve that,” you said, a wary look sent his way. 

“I know a great store where you can buy a whip,” he began. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that Wufei suddenly went red and started shooting threats at him. In favor of his safety, Duo decided that he was better off ten feet away from that man. You, in the meantime, were trying to keep from falling over as you laughed the hardest you had in the last five months. After five minutes of unsuccessfully trying to kill his friend, Wufei returned to your side, his body-language anything but calm. 

“You do know that if you keep on reacting like that, he’ll never stop teasing you,” you pointed out as you finally managed to stop laughing, although the smile never left your lips. Wufei merely grunted in answer, his eyes watching Duo as he stood waiting a few feet ahead. 

“Unless, of course,” you began, suddenly having a very strange insight. “You’re merely reacting like this because you know it’ll amuse him.” 

“Don’t be stupid,” he shot back, his voice gruff and low. You chuckled, knowing you had touched some of the truth that he was trying to hide. 

“You know, Wufei. Maybe you’re not so bad after all,” you said in a soft voice, refusing to look at him. Your cheeks were slightly getting warmer as you felt his heated gaze on your back. 

“Then I don’t have to go on this trip?” he actually tried asking. You laughed, not at all ready to let him out of it. 

“Nope,” you simply said. 

“The ‘construction site’ plan is the best way.” It took you a few moments to understand what he was saying, but when you did, your amusement rose further. 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” you answered him just before you reached Duo’s side again. You shot him a warning look. “You make it hard to keep someone from dying on this shopping trip.” 

“But it’s worth it,” he merely told you. 

“Maybe,” you merely said. 

The entire way, Duo couldn’t stop tormenting Wufei. It was actually quite amusing to see their interaction. Sometimes, you would catch Wufei’s amused look before it was replaced by a slightly angrier one. That clued you in on the fact that maybe, just maybe, your earlier hunch could’ve been the right one. But now, as you stood in your small cubicle in the dressing room, you starting thinking that maybe it would’ve been better if you had not agreed to go on this trip. 

“You’ve got to come out at some point, [Name],” Duo pointed out in a way too happy voice. You grumbled, not making any movements towards leaving this cubicle. 

“I’m gonna kill you,” you growled at him. 

“Oh, come on, [Name],” Duo began, his voice very close to whining. “You know you look great in them.” 

“I do not!” you shot back, still looking at yourself in the mirror. Instead of the comfortable fitting jeans you had been wearing, you were now dressed in skin-tight, form-fitting, black leather pants. They rode low on your hips, exposing some of your stomach, as you hadn’t been insightful enough to wear a longer shirt. Was this fate’s way of trying to get back at you? 

“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” Duo tried again. You shot a dark look at the door that separated you from him. 

“Screw you!” you shouted. 

“But I want to see,” he said, sounding close to whining. You rolled your eyes. 

“I never said you could see.” 

“Wufei wants to see too,” he helpfully pointed out. Your reaction was instant. Your cheeks began to feel warm, turning redder at the mere thought of that man looking at you like this. Then again, a small, adventurous part of you was actually pretty curious about that. 

“Not going to happen!” you simply told him. 

“Say, [Name],” he began again, his tone strange and amused. You were instantly on guard. “You know last fall, when we went down to the lake for a vacation.” 

Your eyes widened. He wouldn’t! 

“You know when you got drunk and started dancing –” 

He didn’t get much further than that. You harshly pushed the door open, your eyes ablaze in their anger and anxiety. 

“Don’t you dare, Maxwell!” you shouted as you stormed over to him. The smile on his lips was enough to put you even further on alert. 

“I knew you’d look great in them,” he merely stated, not at all intimidated by your anger. Your eyes widened again, your anger instantly forgotten. Your blush returned with a vengeance. 

“I don’t like you right now,” you told Duo. He merely ignored it, grabbed your shoulders, and turned you towards the large mirror that hung to your right. Duo leaned against your side, his mouth near your ear, making you shiver. 

“Ahh, we both know you don’t mean that. After all,” he whispered as he looked you in the eyes through your reflection. “I got you that hunk of a man you now share your house with. It’s the same one that’s staring intensely at your ass right about now.” 

Your own eyes, involuntarily so, moved to gaze at Wufei’s reflection. In it, you saw that he was indeed staring at you with a heated look in his eyes. You shivered. He must’ve realized you were watching him, for he looked at up at that point. Your gazes met, shallow thoughts and heated emotions were exchanged with a mere look that barely lasted a few seconds, but to you, they felt as if they lasted a lifetime. 

“You should buy them,” Duo pointed at, seeing you were once more concentrating on him. 

“I don’t know,” you hesitantly began, but your thoughts were still jumbled. 

“Buy them,” Duo repeated once more. “Maybe then, you’ll actually manage to get some action.” 

“Duo!” you screamed, mortified at his words. 

“You know it’s true,” he merely said, a careless shrug accompanying his words. 

“Fine!” you simply said, eager to just get this over with and leave that shop. That very night, you would bury those newly bought pants as deep inside of your closet as you possibly could. Then, you would move over towards the much needed exercise of forgetting that very moment!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little heads up; since I failed to drag up some inspiration, I decided that a week has already gone by.

You sighed as you twirled your desk chair around. This was not working out like you wanted it to. Why didn’t stories ever come out the way you wanted them to? Two hours had already passed, and so far, you had only five sentences that said something about a sunrise. Where was your inspiration when you needed it? Another sigh left your lips as you had enough of this. You stood up and began to pace in front of your laptop. Pacing helped sometimes. This time, however, was clearly not such a time. 

You growled instead of sighing again. Nothing was coming towards you, no inspiration, no names, no ideas, no scenes. Nothing! It was making you crazy. Just as you were about to scream out something totally inappropriate, your front door opened. Wufei entered, a laundry basket tucked under his arm. He closed the door behind him and briefly looked at you. 

“Writer’s block?” he questioned as he saw you standing in the middle of the room, a frustrated look upon your face. 

“What gave me away?” you questioned sarcastically. 

He shrugged, placing the basket on the table to your right before turning towards you. “Getting angry won’t change that.” 

“True,” you agreed, though not happily.

He had been a constant presence in your home for the last seven days. In your opinion, those seven days were both heavenly and horrendous. On one side, you had a man worth staring at, no matter the time of the day. On the other hand, that part was also a downside. You had been right to think that your sexual frustration would skyrocket. Just watching him stand there, his arms crossed over his chest, his stance casual yet clearly ready for action should anything happen, his gaze focused on you, and that small smirk tilting his lips upwards. You could already feel yourself responding to the thoughts your mind was entertaining towards those lips. Sadly, you also knew it wouldn’t happen. He and you were as different as night and day. Sure, you could get along, but you also suspected that he was trying to be nice. 

Besides, after what you had done on the first and second day he was here, you could feel some sort of tension between you both. He had never spoken about it, but you could still sense there was something. You often found yourself lying in bed, wondering about what would’ve happened if you had kissed him that night. You looked at your laptop once more, once more staring at those five lines that were almost mocking you and your incapacity of coming up with anything else. 

“I’m gonna need a break,” you muttered. 

For the last seven days, you could only think of that little situation between you both. It was seriously killing your inspiration. Maybe you should call Duo, see if he was interested in going clubbing tonight? You always ended up with some kind of motivation if you went clubbing. Besides, maybe you could get rid of some of that sexual tension. 

Speak of the devil and he’ll appear. As if conjured by your thoughts, someone knocked on your door. Wufei was already moving towards it, so you didn’t move from your spot where you stood glaring at your laptop. 

“Hey,” Duo’s upbeat voice greeted, as he moved past Wufei and into your line of sight. You snorted. 

“You always had a knack of knowing when I needed you,” you stated with a smile. Duo bowed slightly, his smile growing bigger when he stood straight again. 

“I sensed your call, milady,” he joyfully commented, making you snort in amusement.   
“I need inspiration, Duo,” you commented as you shot him a sly smile. 

“I see,” he answered mysteriously. “And who will be the victim?” 

“Ah, that would be you, my friend.” He sighed dramatically, paused for effect, before offering you a big smile. 

“Okay, you convinced me. Tonight?” 

“Yes.” 

“Perfect. I’ll pick you up by nine?” 

“Sure, but then you’ll have to help me with my clothes.” 

“Everything for you,” he said with a suffering sigh. You rolled your eyes. 

“You’re such an exaggerator. If anything, you’ll be luckier than me tonight.” 

“Is that jealousy I detect?” 

“In your dreams,” you shot back. Your fun banter was broken by Wufei’s statement. 

“You’re both idiots,” he muttered. 

You turned towards him, giving him a sly smile. “You shouldn’t have said that. ‘Cause now you’re coming with us.” 

His eyes narrowed in obvious defiance. “I’m not.” 

“Wufei’s not such a party man.” 

“I don’t care. I’m in the mood for some serious drinking, so he’s coming with us to play taxi driver.” 

“I can live with that,” Duo commented as he thoughtfully stared at you and Wufei. 

“So,” he began, clearly alerting you that there was something he was contemplating. “Did something happen already?” 

You groaned. 

“You have a one tracked mind, Duo,” you told him pointedly. 

“Yeah, that’s true. So, did you?” 

“Ugh! I’m not going to answer that.” 

“So there was something!” he happily exclaimed. 

You rolled your eyes. “Yeah. We had mind-blowing steaming sex last night, and we’re still on that high feeling you get afterwards. I, however, was in the mood for some much needed sequel, and thus that let us to our current argument about whether or not he was going to orally please me.”

Duo stared at you, his mouth open in shock. Wufei sputtered as his face slowly grew red. You weren’t sure if he was angry or embarrassed. Suddenly, Duo began pouting, crossing his arms over his chest and gave you a disappointed look. 

“You shouldn’t lie about that, [Name].” 

“Who says I’m lying,” you stated with a shrug. You moved towards Wufei. Without waiting to see which feeling he was leaning towards, you wrapped your arm around his waist and pressed your other hand against his chest, letting your head rest against his shoulder. “You were right, though. He’s quite good in the sack.” 

Wufei had stiffened when you had touched him, but after you had said those words, you could almost feel his angry gaze on you. You didn’t mind it too much. At least you now knew that it was anger he had been feeling earlier. Duo, however, laughed, unable to keep his slightly scolding look. 

“Most people wouldn’t dare try that with him,” he managed to say after a while. He was leaning against the wall with one hand, seemingly needing it to keep standing. 

“I’m not most people,” you simply stated as you released Wufei. You took a few steps away from him, suddenly fearing for your own safety. You looked at him from the corner of your eyes, flinching slightly from the angry look on his face. Maybe it hadn’t been such a smart idea to state that. 

“You can say that again. How about I help you with your clothes now?” Duo questioned as he moved towards your bedroom. 

“Sure.” You followed him, not once looking back at Wufei and see if he had calmed already. You figured he could use the time to decide whether he wanted you dead or not. 

“So, what’s the problem?” he questioned as he opened your closet, knowing from experience where you kept your clubbing clothes. 

“What problem?” 

“[Name],” he sighed out as he began rummaging through your piles of clothes. “I’ve known you longer than this. I know something’s bugging you.” 

“Maybe,” you agreed as you watched him throw a green, open back shirt towards the bed. A silver belt soon followed it. 

“Doesn’t mean I want to talk about it,” you stubbornly stated. Duo laughed as he moved towards another pile. 

“It’s the times you want to talk about it that prove to be the most troublesome,” he stated teasingly. 

You snorted in amusement. 

“Aha,” he whispered softly, seemingly having found your extra carefully hidden leather pants. You sighed in exaggerated suffering. You should’ve burned those when you had the chance. 

“You say that now,” you muttered, crossing your arms as you saw it land on the growing pile on your bed. Duo seemed to hesitate for a minute before he threw a short sleeved, thin sweater towards your bed. You recognized it as the one that left your shoulders bare. 

“That should do it,” he stated before turning towards you. You shrugged in answer to his unspoken question. “I would’ve thought you would’ve hidden those leather pants better,” he stated with a teasing smile on his lips. 

“Why?” 

Another shrug. “Maybe because I know you’d rather wear them on ‘special’ occasions,” he stated, his eyes briefly moving towards your bedroom door. You understood the hint he was giving you. 

“Thanks,” you stated as he approached. He wrapped his arm around your shoulders, bringing you towards him for a one armed hug. 

“You know you can tell me everything, right?” he questioned. “And that includes when I’ve done something stupid to cause you problems.” 

“I know,” you stated, already knowing he was talking about the situation he had created by presenting Wufei to you as your one month long slave. Just as he was about to say something more, his phone rang. He frowned as he looked at the caller ID. 

“Damn,” he swore as he moved towards your door. “I’ve gotta go. I’ll see you at nine?” he questioned to confirm. 

“Yeah,” you answered as you followed him. He had just answered his phone by the time he reached your front door. 

“This conversation isn’t over yet,” he whispered to you as he pressed his hand over the speaker. You smiled sadly, already knowing that. You merely nodded your head, motioning your hand for him to get going. 

“So eager to get rid of me,” he muttered before he focused back on his conversation with his caller. 

As soon as he was out the door, you leaned against it, already dreading the rest of that conversation. You took a few seconds before you took a deep breath and pushed yourself away from the door. You weren’t sure what to expect after having said what you had earlier, but you sure as hell weren’t expecting him to ignore you. You blinked as he didn’t say anything, completely focused on folding the laundry. 

“Sorry,” you said, suddenly feeling the need to apologize for earlier.

You frowned. You weren’t the type to apologize for something like that. You sighed as you looked towards your laptop. “I know you’re not comfortable about such things, but it’s the only way I can make him stop teasing me.” 

“Hn.” 

Well, damn! The man was giving you the silent treatment. You scowled, feeling your irritation growing with the second. See if you would apologize for something like that again! You huffed in agitation before taking your previous seat in front of your laptop. You suddenly had a bunch of inspiration to write that angry scene your editor had wanted. You got so caught up in your writing that you jumped in surprise when his voice penetrated the silence. 

“Dinner’s ready.” 

“What?” you questioned as you blinked in amazement. 

You felt a cramp in your shoulder, indicating you had definitely spend too much time in front of your laptop. After groaning and stretching, you slowly got up. You ended up groaning again. Your joints were stiff and your back popped. 

“Damn,” you muttered as you moved towards the food.

By the smell of it, it would be another feast for your mouth. You hummed in appreciation when you, without even bothering to say anything to Wufei, simply began eating.

“So good,” you hummed in enjoyment. 

Dinner was relatively quiet, only broken every few bites by your appreciative humming. When it was finished and Wufei had cleaned the table, you lowered your head on top of it, your forehead loudly encountering the table. You groaned as you rubbed your shoulder again, trying to get the muscle to relax. 

“I hate being a writer,” you muttered. 

You frowned when your tactic didn’t help to get your shoulders to relax. A sudden warm touch made you stiffen. 

“Relax,” Wufei commented as he moved his hands over your shoulders. You didn’t listen immediately, keeping your attention on what he was doing. When he touched the sore muscles that were creating your problem, you nearly gasped, already leaning away from the touch. 

“If you’re going to hurt me, I prefer it if you didn’t touch me,” you grumbled. 

“Did that hurt?” he questioned, sounding slightly scolding. You pouted as you close your eyes.

“Not hurt hurt,” you muttered, not eager to admit that you were acting like a big baby. 

“With the way you kept that position for hours, it’s natural that it’s sensitive.” 

“You’re gonna lecture me on not spending all my time in front of my computer?” you questioned petulantly.

He snorted. “No.” 

“Good,” you muttered, feeling as if you just won this match. [Name] one, Wufei zero. 

“I’m going to lecture you on the benefits of moving more often,” he commented as he kept massaging your shoulders. 

You groaned as he, in your opinion, deliberately pressed hard on that one muscle that screamed in protest. You scowled. Did that mean that he scored a point as well? Was it a tie now? Damn if you were going to admit that! 

“I move enough.” 

“Clearly not often enough,” he shot back, once again pressing on that one muscle. You groaned again, not believing this was helping. 

“It’s hard to focus on the time when you’re suddenly hit by a bout of inspiration.” 

“Then you don’t need to go clubbing tonight.” Was he searching for an excuse not to go along with you and Duo? 

“All you need to do is stay sober and drive us back home. I don’t see what’s so bad about that.” 

“I don’t like clubs.” 

“You don’t like much, do you?” you questioned as you finally began to feel your muscles relaxing. 

“There are other things I like.”

“Such as?” 

“Books.” 

“You’re such a social person because of them,” you muttered, groaning again when his thumbs pressed deeper into your muscles. 

“I like a good work-out.” 

“Fitness?” you questioned, slightly surprised by that knowledge. 

“No. Sparring.” Well, at least you couldn’t say that wasn’t a social hobby. 

“Any good at it?” You could feel yourself relaxing further and further. If he kept this up, and if you weren’t resting against a table, you might actually be close to falling asleep. 

“I win. That’s good enough.” 

“True,” you muttered, wondering if he could beat you. You weren’t that skilled at it, but you did know how to play dirty. They say everything goes in the real world, so why hold yourself to rules if they won’t save you out there? 

“Duo will be here soon.” 

“Good,” you answered, not bothering to get up. 

You whined softly when he stopped and pulled his hands back. His chuckle nearly made you lift your head to glare at him. Nearly, because you were still too relaxed to actually do so. It took you a good five minutes before you pushed yourself away from the table, and dragged your body towards your bedroom to change. You were dressed in a matter of seconds. Your make-up, however, took a bit longer. Just as you were getting to the last few things, you heard Duo’s voice. You smiled slightly as you wondered what he was teasing Wufei with now. 

You grabbed a few things before leaving your bedroom. There was a brief pause as you walked outside, making you smile as you allowed your eyes to focus on Duo first. He wore snug fitting, black jeans with a dark purple shirt that clearly showed his muscles. He shot you a wink as he approached you, hugging you to him. 

“Ready to go?” he questioned happily. 

“Completely. Ready to get drunk?” you asked him. 

He laughed. “When will you learn that you’ll be getting drunk a lot sooner than I ever will?” 

“Probably on the same day that you will learn that I will always beat you at poker.” 

“I still say you’re cheating with that. It’s unnatural to win that many times.” 

You laughed in answer. “Maybe you should take on less gifted people and win a few rounds before you start losing that optimistic nature of yours,” you shot back, never agreeing or denying that you cheated during those poker matches. 

Duo grumbled next to you, a smile still on his lips. You, in the meantime, let your eyes wander towards Wufei. You blinked in wonder when you saw him standing there in a pair of snug, dark blue jeans and a dark red shirt that somehow seemed to fit him perfectly. You blushed as you found yourself eyeing him up and down. When you met his gaze again, there was a small smirk on his lips, something that made him look sexy. You swallowed, quickly turning towards Duo and grabbing his hand. 

“Let’s go already,” you stated, pulling him towards the door. “I wanna dance.” 

“Okay, okay,” he tried to say, letting you pull him along. Wufei sighed before following, clearly less than enthusiastic about this whole idea.


	5. Chapter 5

“Now, honestly, how’s it been so far?” he questioned, suddenly all serious again. You blinked in wonder, still amazed that he could do that. You were at a local club, currently still sitting at a small booth near the back. You and Duo were already on your second drink, you with a glass of white wine, while Duo had his second beer. You could already feel the alcohol taking effect, making you lose some of your inhibitions. 

“I’m still contemplating how to kill you for this,” you nonchalantly commented, hoping to steer him away from what he really wanted to know. 

“Even after I agreed to go clubbing with you?” he tested. You rolled your eyes as you leaned towards him. 

“No, I forgive you and all your many faults –”

“Hey!” he interjected, but you merely ignored him. 

“ – because that’s what being a good friend is all about. Besides,” you briefly looked towards Wufei who seemed to be glaring at the two women who were begging for his attention, “I have to admit that his cooking is just to die for. I could get used to that if I’m not careful.”

“Get used to it,” Duo commented with a shrug, his gaze following your line of sight. He chuckled as he saw the displeasure on his friend’s face. Wufei had briefly gone outside to take a call, but he had been assaulted when he had tried to make his way back towards your booth. Your giggles stopped when you saw one of those girls literally press herself against him. You humped in displeasure, realizing too late that Duo was now watching you instead. 

“You feel something for him,” he accused you. 

“No, I don’t!” you quickly stated. 

“I know you, [Name]. You might have been able to hide it if you were completely sober, but now that you’re getting tipsy, it’s much easier to see.” You knew that denying it wouldn’t work with him, so you tried a different tactic. 

“Doesn’t mean anything.”

“It means that there’s still hope.”

“For what?” you questioned, curious about what he meant. He shrugged, taking another sip of his beer. 

“For you to convince him that there’s a good enough reason to choose you.”

“Can we go dancing?” you questioned, eager to let this conversation rest. He shot you a sharp look, indicating he knew exactly what you were trying to do, but he allowed it none the less. He stood up, offered you his hand, and guided you towards the dance floor. On the way there, you passed Wufei. He had somehow managed to attract one more fan to fight for his attention. 

“We’re going dancing,” Duo shouted towards him as you passed. He was about to say something else, but you were already moving away. There were a lot of people already dancing, making you slightly uncomfortable with the bodies that were pressing against you. 

“Relax,” Duo spoke near your ear. You jumped slightly, still needing a bit more time, and maybe a bit more alcohol, to get used to this. 

Duo placed his hands on your hips. Your back was against his chest, your bodies nearly completely touching. He guided you into the movements, and after a few songs, you were completely at ease again. It was always like this. You were too aware of the bodies around you to have much fun dancing. It was because of that, that you usually drank a few shots before you even tried it. Duo’s presence always seemed to help as well. He had a knack for making you feel relaxed. Besides, he was a great dancer. You briefly wondered how Wufei would dance, but you quickly killed that thought before it could start making you think of other things. 

Your bodies were moving as one, the music changing so many times without you realizing it. Your body was growing tired, however, and that was all the motivation you needed to stop dancing for now. You leaned your head to the side, yelling to Duo that you were going to get another drink. He nodded in understanding. You didn’t bother waiting for him. You knew he had already been checking around for his mystery date. There was this one woman he always danced with whenever he came here. She had definitely caught his attention in your opinion. You were still glad he saved the first few dances for you, trying to give you some sense of safety before you dared go find someone else to dance with. 

As you looked back, you already saw him moving towards the girl you recognized as one of the local bartender. You smiled as you waited for your coke. You weren’t willing to risk another glass of alcohol just yet. You didn’t wanted to get drunk that fast after coming here. There was a strange feeling inside of you that was telling you to be careful tonight. Though you never understood where those feelings came from, experience had taught you to listen to them. You watched Duo and that girl as they began dancing, their bodies gliding together as they almost became one. You briefly wondered how it looked when you and Duo had been dancing. 

You accepted your drink, and made your way back to the small booth. You were slightly surprised to see Wufei sitting there, none of the women who had been trying to convince him to dance with them present. You shot him a big smile before sliding into the booth next to him. You leaned towards him as you spoke. 

“Not going to dance, Wufei?” you questioned. “I thought for sure that there was one woman who could convince you to dance with her.”

“If that woman exists, she hasn’t asked me yet,” he simply stated. You chuckled at his dark mood. It seemed he really didn’t like clubs all that much. His eyes briefly focused on your coke. “No alcohol?” he questioned. “I thought you wanted to get drunk.”

“I want to get loose, not I’m-not-going-to-remember-a-single-thing-tomorrow-drunk. You ever had a hangover? They’re tuff to deal with.” He snorted, clearly amused by your answer. 

“And are you?” 

“Loose enough to enjoy dancing in that sea of bodies,” you stated as you nodded towards the dance floor. You looked at Wufei again, briefly pondering if you should ask him to dance with you. You took another sip of your drink. “How about it, Wufei,” you began as you shot him a small smile. “Wanna dance with me?” 

“No,” he simply answered. You pouted, but you didn’t let it get to you. 

“And if I order you to?” you questioned playfully. He looked at you, long and hard. 

“You wouldn’t.”

“That’s beside the point,” you said, already pouting because you knew he didn’t believe you would order him. 

“No.”

“Party crasher,” you muttered as you drank the rest of your coke. You let your eyes move over the crowd, noticing a large man moving towards your booth. As your eyes met, it was clear to you that he was definitely coming to ask you something. He wasn’t bad to look at. He had short brown hair and the beginning of a small beard was showing. He was probably two heads taller than you were, and definitely muscled. Judging by how his shirt clung to his upper body off course. You waited until he stopped in front of your booth, all the while never lifting your gaze from his. 

“I couldn’t help notice you from where I was standing at the bar,” he told you, his voice barely able to be heard over the loud music. You smiled softly, not yet speaking a word. You wanted to see what he would do to get your attention. There was no game in it if he didn’t have to work for it. 

“Saw you had some great dance moves,” he told you as he leaned forward. You saw his eyes darken as he moved them over your body. You shivered, briefly fighting the scowl you were beginning to show. It wasn’t that you didn’t want people to look at you, but there was something about him looking at you like that, that just didn’t feel right. It was almost as if you wanted someone else to do so instead. 

“Why thank you,” you answered as you played with your now empty glass of coke. “I do have some great dance moves,” you added with a soft smirk, finally managing to force the scowl away. It was just in time to keep him from seeing it. His eyes connected with your own once more and he offered you a smile. 

“Why don’t you dance with me?” he asked as he took a step back, completely certain you wouldn’t dare say no to that offer. You blinked a few times, wondering if you should. You were all too aware of Wufei sitting next to you. Then again, he had just told you that he didn’t want to dance with you. You had asked Duo to go clubbing because you wanted to dance and get some inspiration for your story. Now was not the time to back out of actually getting that inspiration. You stood, not yet accepting his offered hand.

“Think you can keep up with me?” you questioned in good humor. He laughed as he moved closer to you, slowly placing his hands on your hips. 

“I can tell you,” he began as he pulled you closer. “Or I can show you,” he told you as his face leaned closer to your ear. You shivered in response to the feeling of a body so close to your own. You watched this mystery person for a few seconds, still pondering if you were loose enough to dance with a complete stranger. You saw his eyes move before he spoke. “Or is your boyfriend going to stop you?” 

“He’s not my boyfriend,” you stated as you grabbed his wrist and moved towards the dance floor, pulling him along with you. The man didn’t say anything more as you turned towards him once you found an open space. He simply stood close to you before he began to dance, you copying his movements. He wasn’t a bad dance partner, but you still felt you were missing something. Halfway through the fourth song, you saw some girl glaring at you and your mystery man.

You frowned as you thought of something. Aiming to unravel the mystery that girl brought forth, you moved a bit closer to your mystery man. He didn’t mind. In fact, he wrapped his arm around your waist, shooting you another smile. You, however, weren’t focused on him anymore. You saw the glare on that girl’s face intensify, alerting you that there was definitely more going on here. 

“Say,” you began as you leaned closer towards him. “You have a girlfriend?” you questioned casually. 

“No,” he answered as his grin grew, probably thinking you were propositioning him. You rolled your eyes at that. 

“Then perhaps you know a certain blond haired girl, dark eyes, about six foot five, slim.” He frowned. 

“Maybe,” he answered, not sure what you were trying to do. 

“I know for sure that I don’t know her, and unless she’s dating you or wants to date you, I see no reason why she should be glaring at me. Especially if I make her think about this,” you said, turning your bodies a bit, making the girl see his back. You pulled his head slightly down, giving the illusion of kissing him. 

You barely had to stay still like that for a few seconds before someone was suddenly pulling you away from him. You stumbled for a few paces, before you managed to steady yourself. You raised your head, intent on glaring at whoever was responsible for this, but as you looked up, you just saw that same blond girl from before slapping your mystery man. 

There were tears in her eyes as she glared at him with something close to betrayal shimmering in her gaze. You saw your mystery’s man’s mouth move, probably whispering the blonde’s name. She didn’t wait to see what would happen. Without saying anything, she turned and walked away. Without sparing you a single glance, the man followed. You blinked for a few seconds, watching their backs as they disappeared from sight. You shook your head and sighed. 

“Young love,” you whispered, though it was lost to the loud music. You shrugged, deciding to see if Duo had left his own mystery woman’s side yet and had returned to your booth. You were just halfway towards the mass of bodies when you encountered Wufei. You stopped and blinked at him in wonder before a smile spread over your face. A brief look beside him showed no woman, so you could rule out that he had been dragged here by another. 

“What brings you out here?” you playfully questioned. He shot you a mildly annoyed look. 

“I saw what happened.”

“Oh,” you simply said, not sure if you should be expressing some kind of feeling or not. “Well,” you continued when he didn’t offer anything else. “As you can see, I’m currently without a dance partner, and I’m actively searching for a new one.”

He didn’t respond, but you saw him stiffen slightly. Your smile turned slightly dangerous, alerting him that you were about to do or say something he wouldn’t like. You figured he was going to expect you to ask him to be your dance partner again, something you definitely weren’t going to ask twice in one evening. You had other ways in which you could try to achieve that goal. The fact that he was here was reason enough to presume that there was a chance he was interested in ways you hadn’t thought possible. 

“Now, if you’ll just let me pass,” you began as you took a step to the right. “I think I see a lot of potential in that one,” you stated, letting your smile turn challenging as you caught some guy’s eyes. “Not to mention that he’s quite hot,” you added in a lower voice.

Wufei turned his head just as you waved at that guy. He smiled, lifting his hand, already beginning to move towards you. Your smile, however, was quickly replaced by a shocked expression when Wufei suddenly grabbed your wrist and pulled you deeper into the crowd. He stopped somewhere on the other end of the dance floor. When he turned towards you, you’re shocked expression was completely gone again. You smirked at him, blinking innocently. 

“Something wrong with my chosen partner?” you questioned as you held your ground. He grunted as he looked over your head towards the direction he had come from.

“You chose me.”

“You refused me,” you shot back as soon as the words had left his mouth. 

“I accept now.”

“And if I refuse you now?” you questioned, actually enjoying seeing him so worked up about this. Instead of dignifying that question with an answer, he moved closer, placing his hands on your hips. You raised an eyebrow in question, but you didn’t stop him. 

You were enjoying this too much to stop him. Besides, this was exactly what you had wanted from the moment you had seen him in these clothes. You wondered if he was as good at dancing as Duo was. You placed your hands on his chest when he closed the last bit of space that remained between your bodies. Being so close to your own body, his movements were forcing you to follow his. After only one song, you had to admit that he was indeed good at dancing. 

“You’re quite good,” you told him over the music. His smirk nearly made your heart stop beating. Duo had been right, you realized all too clearly now. You did indeed feel something for him. That small realization made you falter for a few seconds, which he obviously noticed. He didn’t ask, but there was a curiosity in his gaze that made you lower your head, hiding your face from him. You continued dancing as you tried to sort through your thoughts. 

“Sorry to interrupt and all, but we’ve got to go,” Duo’s voice suddenly spoke close to you. You literally jumped away from Wufei, a light blush already heating your cheeks. You blinked in wonder when his words finally registered. They hadn’t been teasing. 

“Why?” you questioned as Duo grabbed your wrist and pulled you along. You weren’t resisting yet, but the motion to do so did flash through your mind. “Duo,” you called out, exasperate by his strange behavior.

“He’s here, [Name],” he told you with a sharp look over his shoulder. By the time you registered what he had said, you were already out on the streets. When you finally understood what the implications were, you reacted automatically. You sharply pulled your wrist out of his hold, made sure you stood steadily on the ground, and glared at him. 

“Why should I leave? I’m not running from him!”

“[Name],” Duo warned, his eyes already moving towards the door you had just exited. 

“No!” you steadily answered. “I’m not running! He’s the idiot and scumbag, so why should I run?”

“What are you both talking about?” Wufei, who was obviously annoyed by his lack of knowledge about the current topic, gruffly asked. 

“Nothing!” you said at the same time that Duo stated, “One of her exes.” Something shifted in Wufei’s gaze, alerting you that he wasn’t satisfied with the given answers. Before he could question you further about it, however, Duo started cursing. 

“You didn’t want to leave,” he told you as he motioned towards something behind you. You turned, your groan of realization too quiet to be heard over the traffic.

“I thought I saw you,” Jason, your ex of six months spoke up. For a brief moment, you wondered what you had ever seen in him in the first place. Sure, his black hair, blue eyes, tall posture and broad shoulders were something you enjoyed about him, but his character was the real problem that kept it from working out. That, and his habit to hit women whenever he was either drunk or in an argument he knew he couldn’t win. 

“Jason,” you stiffly greeted. Duo moved closer towards you, offering you all the support you should ever need if it came to it. You appreciated his presence all the more. Wufei, somehow sensing the gravity of the situation, copied him. You saw Jason stiffen, his eyes narrowing dangerously. He had never been a fan of the friendship you shared with Duo. You suspected it was because he didn’t like the thought of not being the only man you could depend on, not that you ever depended on Jason. It was another thing he probably held against you. It didn’t, however, outweigh the things you held against him. 

“You look as lovely as ever,” Jason said, obviously trying to suck up to you. You rolled your eyes. 

“And you’re still as much of a scumbag as you were when I last saw you,” you shot back. His mouth formed a thin line, his shoulders stiffening. All of it was a great indication for you that this conversation wasn’t going according to his plan. “I’m dying to know, though. How was your last stay in that five star hotel you were bragging about?” you questioned, obviously hinting at his time in jail. He knew exactly what you meant. His face got red as his anger got the better of him. 

“I wouldn’t have needed to be there if you hadn’t lied,” he heatedly shot back at you. You snorted, your body already stiffening in preparation for what was to come. 

“I told the truth, but then again, you never did like the truth,” you shot back. 

You planted your feet a bit wider apart, preparing further for something you knew was coming. Duo moved slightly, shifting his own weight from one foot to the other. You knew he would stop Jason before he could land a solid hit on you, but you didn’t want him to. You still felt as if you could handle this alone. You hadn’t taken those self-defense lessons to let someone else fight your fights. Not even waiting to see if Jason would actually do what was obviously coming, Wufei stepped in front of you. 

“Calm down and go back inside,” he warned as he held out his arm when you were about to move past him. A short warning look towards you kept you from moving. You narrowed your eyes as Jason spoke up. 

“Stay out of this!”

“We don’t want any trouble,” Wufei shot back, his voice holding more authority. 

“This is between me and her,” Jason shot back as he took another step forward.

“So now you suddenly want to fight someone who’s obviously more skilled than you?” you spoke up, your voice holding a distinct bitter edge to it. 

“[Name],” Duo warned before Wufei could do so, though, it didn’t stop him from shooting you another warning look. Jason, however, was completely focused on you again.

“No one can beat me.”

“Not if you keep using women as your shield. How much time did that buy you last time? A minute? Two?” You were about to taunt him further, but Duo’s hand quickly silenced what else you could say. 

“Don’t make it worse, [Name],” he warned calmly, but it was clear he wasn’t happy with your behavior. You narrowed your eyes. Make it worse? You had tons more to say to that asshole in front of you. 

You could see Jason was even angrier than before. His entire stance radiated with his need to lash out at someone. That someone happened to be Wufei because he stood closer. Though, if Jason ever hoped to win, he should have first learned how to fight properly. Before the first punch could even touch his opponent, Wufei had already moved, blocking it, and twisting the arm behind Jason’s back. 

“Think twice before you try to hit a law enforcer,” he growled as Jason tried to escape the hold on him. Jason, hearing those words, stilled immediately. 

“Law,” he trailed off. His anger completely evaporated, and he almost looked a bit pale. “I didn’t know,” he simply said. 

“Just as you didn’t know that a restraining order should keep you from talking to [Name] ever again?” Duo shot back. You mumbled something, but considering Duo still had his hand clasped over your mouth, it didn’t come out as you wanted it to. Everyone ignored it anyway. 

“Restraining order?” Wufei questioned with a brief look send your way. You were still too focused on Jason to answer his curious look with anything more than a glare of defiance. “That alone should offer me plenty of reason to bring you in.”

“No, please! I promise not to come near her again. Really!” It was easy to see that Jason was quite alarmed at the possibility to go back to jail. You briefly wondered why. You snorted at that thought. Any weasel like Jason would probably not survive all that well in jail. Maybe he should’ve thought of that before he decided to remodel your face all those months ago. 

“Go back inside and don’t come near her again,” Wufei warned as he finally released Jason. 

Jason, seeing his chance to get away without risking another jail time, quickly disappeared back inside the club without another word. You glared at Wufei when Jason was no longer available to glare at. You strongly believed that that had been your moment for payback! He had taken your moment! You stood completely still as Duo pulled his hand back, actually giving you the opportunity to say something again. That opportunity, however, was stolen when Wufei decided you needed to be scolded. 

“You couldn’t resist taunting him, could you?”

“You couldn’t resist stopping me from giving him what he deserved!” His eyes narrowed dangerously as you spat those words at him. 

“Fighting isn’t always the answer.”

“I’m not going to run from him for the rest of my life!” you shot back, clearly insulted that they would ever suggest such a thing. 

“Nobody said you have to, [Name],” Duo interfered as it became obvious to him that Wufei’s words were only making you angrier. 

“Then why not let me handle this?” you questioned him as you focused your glare on him. “This was my fight!”

“Women aren’t supposed to fight,” Wufei stated. He had no idea how much that comment angered you. Your eyes widened slightly before they narrowed even further. Duo flinched, already knowing this was one thing he shouldn’t interfere with. 

“If you’re even implying that we’re supposed to let men fight for us, then you’re crazy!”

“He didn’t mean it like that, [Name],” Duo still tried, placing his hands on your shoulders in a hope to calm you down. You, however, were far from wanting to calm down. You pushed his hands off your shoulders and took a step away from him. 

“You’re defending him?” you asked, surprised that your friend would betray you like this. Duo sighed, obviously having trouble finding the correct words. You stopped him from even trying. “I can’t believe you!” you yelled. “I thought you were my friend!”

“I am your friend. And as your friend –” 

But you wouldn’t hear it. You interrupted him before he could even finish what he was about to tell you. “Friends don’t stab each other in the back!”

“What would you have me do?” he shot back, clearly getting angry as well. “Wufei has a point. He hurt you last time. We merely wanted to keep him from doing it again.”

“You call that protecting me?” you yelled, completely beyond rational by now. Even if you hadn’t admitted to it, the moment Jason got angry and let his fist fly, you had experienced a small flash back. You could still feel the pain of the memory of Jason’s fist connecting with your jaw had brought you. You could still feel the fear, the anger it had brought forth. By stopping him, they had both stopped you from having your revenge. 

“I had the chance to make him feel what I felt.”

“Revenge isn’t the answer,” Wufei’s calm voice penetrated your cloudy mind. You turned towards him again, still far from being calm. 

“Revenge is –”

“Revenge doesn’t change a single thing,” Wufei continued, not giving you the chance to complete your sentence. You pressed your lips tightly together, your hands fisting by your side. You were taking deep breaths, trying to calm down again. You knew it wasn’t right to get so worked up about this, but this was something they couldn’t understand. It was something that influenced you so much that you couldn’t let it go. 

“It won’t change what happened, and it won’t change how you feel.”

“How do you know that?” you forced out, somehow managing to keep your voice level. 

“Because I wanted revenge as well.” He left it at that. But, then again, he didn’t need to say more. His eyes told you everything you needed to know. You felt yourself deflate, suddenly losing the anger you had held so close. All that was left, was some fear and shame. You looked towards the door that led towards the club again. You kept what else you wanted to say to yourself, knowing it wouldn’t do anyone any good if you said it out loud. 

“Let’s just go home. I’m tired,” you muttered, not bothering to look at either one of them. You simply turned around and began walking towards the spot you remembered the car was parked. Without uttering another word, they followed you. The ride home was made in silence as well. You sat in the back seat, not bothering to hold a conversation. Duo and Wufei, on the other hand, didn’t seem in the mood for talking either, though Duo did try a few times. You watched the scenery pass by as you thought back to that fatal day, just over six months ago. 

You couldn’t remember much about the reason you had been fighting. All you remembered was that you were angry one minute, and shocked the next. You never saw that fist coming. You were so stunned that you didn’t even think about raising your hands to protect your face for a possible second hit, which came and hurt even more than the first had. You had cried out, begged him to stop, but he hadn’t listened.Eventually, you had managed to gather enough of your wits to raise your arms to intercept the third hit. Sadly, that hit had forced you to take a step backwards, ending up with you falling over a nearby table. 

He had kicked you then, only once, and then he had left without a single word spoken to you. You had been left lying on the floor, sobbing over what had happened. When you had managed to stop crying, you had called Duo who had taken you to the ER. After that, Duo had convinced you to press charges against Jason, which you did. It hadn’t ended there. Jason had been pissed that you had done that. You had been so scared that you had ended up begging Duo to live with you during the first month following the attack. 

Your eyes strayed towards Duo, already beginning to feel guilty about what you had said to him. He had been the greatest friend you could ever wish for. It wasn’t the first argument you had had, but it somehow felt like the worst. By the time you finally reached your apartment, you still hadn’t spoken a single word.

“I’m going straight home,” Duo spoke up, being the first to break the silence. You hesitated, your foot already on the first step of the stairs leading to your building. You knew what you had to do. 

“Goodnight,” he said, sounding really miserable. 

“Goodnight,” Wufei answered, taking the keys from your hand and moving past you. It was all too clear what he expected you to do. You turned around with a lot of reluctance. Apologizing had never been your forte. 

“Look, Duo,” you began, nervously twisting your hands in your shirt. 

“It’s okay,” he stated, a nonchalant hand motion following his words. 

“But it’s not,” you stated honestly, finally raising your head and catching his gaze. “You’re a good friend.”

“I know,” he stated, a big smile on his lips. His tone, too, had lightened. You instantly relaxed, knowing you were forgiven. You opened your arms, looking up at him in question. 

“Hug?” you questioned innocently. 

“Damn time for that,” he stated as he moved closer, tightly squeezing you against him. You laughed softly, glad that everything was back alright. 

“I know what this meant to you, [Name],” he stated softly, not pulling back from the hug. He snorted. “I’m just glad Wufei’s still with you for the next few weeks.”

“Duo,” you warned, trying to convey to him that he hadn’t needed to say it because it somehow wasn’t true. 

“Don’t deny it,” he scolded gently. “I know you. I know this meeting has left you shaken slightly.” You sighed, hugging him tighter for a few seconds. 

“I’ll be fine,” you told him instead of telling him you already were fine. Because, in truth, you both knew you weren’t fine. Not yet anyway. You needed time to get over this brief meeting with Jason. It wouldn’t take long, but you knew it would take a few days at the very least. 

“Thanks for everything,” you told him as you pulled back. 

“Anything for you,” he stated, sending a quick wink your way. You smiled and watched him turn around.

“I promise to give you more time with your mystery woman next time we go clubbing,” you told him. He laughed, briefly turning his head towards you. 

“I’ll hold you to that.” 

You winked at him before turning around. You blinked before ducking your head, fighting off a light blush that wanted to force its way towards your cheeks. Wufei was waiting for you at the now open door, his gaze focused on you. You might have been wrong, it was after all dark, but you thought you saw something akin to approval in his gaze. 

You silently moved passed him and towards the elevator. He didn’t comment either, simply choosing to stay quiet, almost as if he was waiting for something. You were standing before your apartment door, ready to open it, when you realized Wufei still had your keys. He opened the door when you took a step sideways. You dropped everything near the door before moving towards your bedroom. You knew he was curious about what had happened and you knew he wanted answers sooner rather than later. What you didn’t know was if he was going to ask for those answers tonight, or leave them until tomorrow. You were just reaching to open your bedroom door, when he stopped you. 

“What happened tonight?” You stopped briefly, not bothering turning to look at him.

“We went clubbing, met one of my exes, almost got in a fight, and left again. Nothing special,” you quickly commented before you slipped inside and closed the door behind you. You waited a few seconds, but you didn’t hear him moving closer to your door. You breathed a sigh of relief, thinking you were safe from those questions for tonight. You’d face them tomorrow, after a good night’s rest. 

Sadly, it didn’t work out like that. The questions did wait until morning, but the sleep wasn’t as restful as it should’ve been. You tossed and turned all night long, dreaming about Jason over and over again. By the time you had your second nightmare about him, you gave up on resting. Normally, you would’ve given up on trying much sooner, preferring to simply sit at your computer, and seeing if you could write something. The downside to that, however, was that there was currently someone sleeping in the same room your computer was. In the end, that left you with only one thing you could do. 

Grabbing a small blanket from your closet, you dragged your sweat soaked body towards the windowsill and settled yourself there. You hugged the blanket around you, trying to get some warmth back inside your body. You were shivering, your body slowly drying in a cool room. You rested your head against the glass, wondering when you could finally leave this all behind you. You had truly thought you had become stronger by now, but as it seemed, nothing was further from the truth. You still had nightmares about Jason, still feared someone else doing that to you. In the end, you still carried scars that no one could see. 

When morning came, you were both physically and mentally exhausted. Your eyes were drooping, your body sagging, your head pressed against the glass, and your arms wrapped around your body. You didn’t know how long the sun had already been shining. You hadn’t wanted to look towards the clock. You were caught between sleep and wakefulness. So when, almost as if you were dreaming it, a knock came from your door, you barely moved an inch. When the knock came again, though, you yelled a sleepy, “Go away.”

Apparently the person hadn’t heard you correctly, or he didn’t know what those two words meant, because you heard the doorknob twist, and the door creak as it opened. Your bleary gaze slowly shifted towards the doorway. 

“I never realized you knew so little of the English language that you think ‘go away’ means the same as ‘come on in’,” you muttered as you saw Wufei standing there. 

You frowned, squinting your eyes in the process of trying to verify what you were seeing. Wufei was currently looking at you with a gaze that came close to being concerned. Now you just knew you were dreaming. The man had never looked at you like that. Sometimes, you wondered if he was capable of it. But, as you now saw that look, you wondered if he could ever come to care about you enough to open up more to you. 

“It’s already twelve o’clock,” he merely stated in answer to your taunting. 

“Yippee,” you dryly muttered. “Lunch time. Sorry, I’m not that hungry,” you continued matter-of-factly, once more forcing your gaze to focus on the world on the other side of the glass. He moved. You heard him, saw his reflection getting closer. 

“I suggest you turn around and pretend I’m not home today,” you muttered with a tired yawn. 

“Did you get any sleep at all?” he questioned you. You shrugged, though it was barely there, and let your eyes close briefly. 

“A few hours,” you answered automatically. “Though it could’ve been a few minutes,” you absently added. You never truly knew how long you had been tossing and turning, and how long you had been staring at the ceiling, convincing yourself that it had been nothing but a dream. He sighed. 

“Want to talk about it?”

“Doesn’t help.”

“You tried it before?” he shot back, sounding so sure that you hadn’t, that it made you glare at him. 

“Don’t you have any chores to do?” you shot back. You were always quite vicious when you were either tired or hungry. Wufei’s expression, however, didn’t change. His determination never once wavered. He calmly took it all in stride, even though you knew he wasn’t happy with being reminded to his one month long servitude to you. 

“No.”

“So my house is cleaned?” you questioned, yawning again soon after. 

“Yes.”

“My dishes washed.”

“Yes.”

“My –”

“Yes,” he interrupted you before you could even ask. You glared at him, losing some of the heat behind it when you had to force your eyes to stay open. 

“Then go read a book. I imagine you can do that, can’t you?” 

“And you?” 

“I’m going to the gym,” you whispered, finally forcing your body to stand up. You winced as your legs cramped. It was a painful reminder that you had been staying in one position on the windowsill for hours on end. As it now became clear, it hadn’t been a wise decision. 

“Damn,” you muttered as you swayed the moment you were finally standing on your feet. You really didn’t deal well with sleeplessness. You saw him move from the corner of your eyes. You thought he was turning, intend on leaving you to change and get ready for a day at the gym. Nothing was further from the truth. Instead of leaving, he had moved closer, something you only realized when you turned towards him. You gasped, and released a small squeak when he lifted you, throwing you over his shoulder as if you weighed nothing. 

“Put me down!” you finally managed to say when he was already moving. It was a quit painful experience for your stomach and lungs to hang from his shoulder like you were. “What do you think you’re doing?” you questioned when he left your bedroom without even bothering to offer you an answer. “Damn you! I told you to put me down!” 

You would’ve fought his hold on you, but you were too tired to actually think beyond ordering him to put you down. You weren’t sure what your options were at that time. You gaped in confusion when you were placed on the couch. He was out of your sight before you managed to blink even once. When you turned your head, he was already walking back towards you, carrying a small bowl and a spoon. 

“Eat,” he merely told you as he pushed the bowl and the spoon in your hand. You hesitantly did so, although it was only because you suddenly realized you were indeed hungry. You watched him as he retrieved something from a nearby table. He sat down next to you, watching you carefully as you ate your lunch, though it probably counted as your breakfast. When you were done, he took the bowl and spoon, and walked towards the kitchen. You were still too slow to comprehend what had just happened. 

You pulled the small blanket, which you had managed to hold on to during the earlier sudden move, closer around you, and looked towards the item Wufei had retrieved. You recognized it as one of the books you had written, one of your newer ones. You wondered if he knew you were the author of it. Your head automatically shifted towards your book case, which was now missing one red covered book. 

“You have an interesting book collection,” he simply stated as he sat back down beside you. You weren’t sure if it was a compliment or not. When you didn’t answer him, he sighed. “You need sleep.”

“I’m fine,” you shot back instinctively. He frowned at you, making you duck your head slightly. Without wasting any words, he grabbed your wrist and pulled it towards him. You gasped as you landed against him. For once, your body and mind weren’t so slow, and you quickly realized what had happened. Your upper body was lying against Wufei’s …

You stared at your hands where they were pressed against his chest, almost as if you had been trying to stop yourself from falling. He had released your wrist, instead choosing to wrap it around your waist, using that hold to keep you close. You thought he suspected you to try to push away from him. Although, if you had to admit, you didn’t once think about doing that. No, your mind and body were too busy thinking about how close he was to you. Your body being the first to point out that you didn’t mind that proximity one bit. 

“Sleep,” he told you again. You scowled as you finally looked up at him. “I’m not your slave.”

“No, but according to Duo’s deal, I’m supposed to look after you.”

“I don’t need someone to tell me what to do.”

“You can’t deny that you need the rest.” You were just about to do exactly that when you yawned again. Wufei shot you a pointed look, but refrained from saying anything else. 

“Don’t want to,” you muttered softly, even as your body was already maneuvering into a better position, trying to get closer to that delicious heat source. It earned you an amused snort. 

Without saying anything else, Wufei took the book he had been reading, and opened it. He ignored you as you rested your head against his chest, one of your hands fisting in his shirt. Even as you fought it, you found yourself closing your eyes and relaxing against him. You blamed it on the weariness. You were asleep in a matter of minutes. And for once, no nightmare was bad enough that it forced you to wake up.


	6. Chapter 6

There was an annoying sound. You frowned, groaning softly as you found yourself growing annoyed at the persistent noise. Your pillow moved slightly, but you ignored it, burying your head deeper into it. Or at least, you tried to do that. It was harder than you remembered it being. You also heard a steady beating beneath your ear, something that wasn’t normal for pillows either. Slowly, very slowly actually, you began blinking one eye open. You blinked two more times before your sight stopped being hazy enough for you to figure out what was wrong about this picture. You were looking at your hand, which was fisted in a shirt. Slowly you began to realize where exactly you were. You became distinctly aware that your phone had stopped ringing. 

“What time is it?” you questioned softly, your voice still rough from sleep. Your pillow moved again, a bare twitching of muscles. 

“Five in the afternoon.”

“Hmm,” you hummed in answer, not bothering to move. You were actually quite comfortable, not that you would ever admit that out loud. 

Maybe Duo had been right. There was indeed nothing wrong with being taken care of once in a while. In fact, you wouldn’t mind experiencing that again in the near future. The hand that was fisted in his shirt loosened its hold, but you didn’t move it. Your phone began ringing again, making you release a frustrated groan. 

“Tell them I’m not home,” you grumbled as you close your eyes again. 

Much to your utmost displeasure, Wufei moved. You didn’t, however, so he was forced to push you slightly forward before he could stand. He place the book he was reading on the table in front of you. You grumbled something unintelligent before claiming the entire couch for yourself, then sighed deeply as you heard him answer the phone. His actions finally making that annoying ringing sound come to an end. Perhaps it was time you searched for a new ringtone. 

“There’s a woman claiming to be your editor,” he stated close by, forcing you to open your eyes again. You slowly turned, only stopping when you were lying on your back, and lifted your hand to accept the phone. 

“Yeah?” you stated, not trying to hide your irritation you felt towards her at that moment. 

“Just calling to check up on you,” Alyne, spoke in that soft voice of hers. Even if you hated editors, Alyne was always so kind to you that you could never hate her. You sighed deeply, watching Wufei as he walked towards the kitchen. You heard him moving about, probably starting dinner. Saliva gathered in your mouth, your stomach rumbling in excitement as your mind began to wonder about what food you would be eating tonight. 

“Everything’s still on track, Alyne,” you told the woman as you finally pushed yourself up. 

“That’s not the reason I called,” she told you. You stiffened, somehow already knowing why she had called. “I know about Jason, [Name],” she told you softly, her voice conveying her worries. You didn’t even wonder how she came by that information. This woman had ways of getting what she wanted, something you would never understand. 

“Nothing happened, Alyne,” you quickly reassured her. “Apparently I had a knight in shining armor,” you dryly commented with a quick look towards the kitchen. It didn’t seem like he heard you. 

“Oh?” Alyne questioned, clearly happy about something. “Is he the man that answered the phone?”

You snorted. “Yeah, but it’s not like that.”

“I’m sure I’ll hear the details later,” Alyne stated in an amused voice. “Just know that if there’s anything you need,” she trailed off, letting it hang in the air.

“I know.” You were already feeling better thanks to her offer. She always looked out for you. Alyne was twenty years older than you, so she often ended up treating you like a mother would a daughter. You felt your lips twitching, forming a soft smile. 

“Good. I’ll call you in two weeks?” she questioned. You chuckled as her tone had once more changed into the professional one she used when it concerned your books and your deadlines. 

“Sure,” you answered lightly. “Goodbye, Alyne.”

“Goodbye.” With that, she hung up. You placed the phone down, stood up, collected your blanket, and dropped it in your bedroom. You grabbed a nearby bag before placing it on your bed. A towel, soap, sports clothes, sport shoes, and the rest of your necessities were quick to follow. You dropped the now filled bag near the door before you walked towards the kitchen. You ignored Wufei as you moved past him, grabbing a bottle of water and an apple. 

“Going somewhere?” he questioned, eyeing the bag that you had left near the door. You shrugged, placing the bottle and the apple in the bag. “Gym,” you simply stated. “It’s been too long since I had a good work out,” you told him as he kept looking at you. 

“It’s got nothing to do with last night,” he stated, though it sounded suspiciously like he was being sarcastic. 

“No,” you simply said, turning towards him, and meeting his scrutinizing gaze. You sighed, understanding what he wanted from you. “You want answers,” you simply stated. 

“That would be nice,” he dryly stated, crossing his arms in front of his chest. You snorted, turning away and taking a seat on the nearby counter. You shrugged again as you slowly got lost in your memories. 

“It’s quite simple,” you stated. “He hit me once. Duo got me to the ER, I pressed charges against him. He tried it again, and then I got a restraining order against him.” 

He kept looking at you, expecting you to tell him more than that, but he could wait a long time before that happened. You weren’t going to get all emotional and cry on his shoulder as you told him how scared you had been, or how much Jason still managed to make you fear him in some way. When he realized nothing more was going to come, he grunted and focused back on the food. You watched him as he moved about in the kitchen. 

“You can come along if you want,” you offered before you knew you were even thinking about doing that. “To the gym, I mean,” you explained when he didn’t answer immediately. 

“Then I’ll come along.” You had a distinct feeling there was something being left unsaid, but for the life of you, you couldn’t figure it out. 

“Okay.” You paused, waiting until his back was once more turned towards you. Slowly, you let a smirk tilt your lips upwards. “Is it ready yet?” you questioned, obviously talking about dinner.

“No,” came his gruff reply. You chuckled, counting until you knew two minutes had passed. 

“How about now?” Wufei growled softly, not bothering to answer you. You laughed when he merely shot you a small glare. You waited another two minutes. You were just about to open your mouth and ask again when he spoke up. 

“Ask me again and you’ll come to regret it.” It was a warning you ignored. 

“So,” you began, stretching the sounds a bit. You saw him stiffen, probably preparing himself for another round of you annoying him. “How about now?” you questioned in an amused tone. 

He turned towards you. Instead of the annoyed expression you expected to see, you saw amusement. It was only when you were about to open your mouth and press him about answering your question, that he approached you. He planted his hands on either side of you, leaning close enough to give you Goosebumps. A shiver ran down your spine when you saw his lips tilt upwards. It made him look utterly sexy. 

“Know how to spar?” he questioned, his tone low. You swallowed nervously, not sure what exactly was happening. 

“Y-yes,” you answered, silently cursing yourself for that small stutter. His smirk, however, was enough to make your thoughts focus on how sexy he looked instead of continuing to focus on being creative in your self-cursing time.

“Then you’ll spar with me,” he stated, finally pulling back. You stared at him as if he was crazy. You were almost certain that the man had been close to flirting with you. Well, at least his body language had implied that. The words, however, didn’t seem to match it entirely. But then, out of nowhere, he pulled back and pretended like nothing had happened! The nerve he had! 

“And if I refuse?” you had to question, narrowing your eyes in contemplation. 

“Then you won’t eat another one of these meals.”

“You can’t do that,” you quickly pointed out. “You’re my slave for the month, and as my slave, you’re bound to do as I ask. I asked for a home-cooked meal once a day. Therefore, you’ll have to deliver said meal. There are no deals to be made about that!” you ended, a snobbish smile on your lips. He finally looked at you again, his eyebrow raised in an arrogant way. 

“I’ll cook,” he said. You narrowed your eyes, knowing something else would follow those words. “Though I never said I’d try my best to make it edible.” 

“You wouldn’t!” you stated, your eyes wide with uncertainty. You really did like his cooking. His lips pulled up further, making you almost forget to breath. 

“Try me,” he taunted. You continued to gaze at him for a few more seconds, before you came to the realization that he wasn’t kidding about this. 

“Fine!” you agreed, crossing your arms over your chest, pouting in a way you knew made you look cute. “We’ll spar,” you agreed. 

Your own devious mind was already working at its best. It was quick to point out that he never said when you should spar with him. That smug hotshot had another thing coming if he thought he could get the best of you. You were used to Duo’s antics. If you could best him, you could best anyone. 

The smile that now tilted your lips was downright scary. If Wufei was aware of it, he didn’t let it show. By the time he turned his head to look at you, you were back to looking at him with a completely innocent expression. The man clearly had to learn that there was nothing innocent about you at moments like these.


	7. Chapter 7

Once dinner was over, you grabbed your bag and waited for Wufei to grab what he needed. Once that was done, it took you a little over five minutes to finally reach the gym where you usually worked out. It was nearly empty except for a handful of people that were using some machines. 

“[Name]!” a happy voice commented as you entered the building. Your eyes automatically searched out the green ones of the speaker. 

“Aron,” you greeted happily once you saw him. His tank top and shorts were slightly darkened from his sweat, cluing you in on the fact that he must have just ended one of his sparring sessions. The strands of dark brown hair that had escaped his short ponytail, were plastered to his forehead. 

“I thought you had forgotten about me,” he playfully stated, pouting slightly. You laughed as you moved towards him, offering him a quick hug. He accepted it easily, eager to hug you back in return. 

“I try every day, but your face is still haunting my nightmares,” you teased when he pulled back from the hug.

“Ouch,” he dramatically stated, moving his hand to cover his heart. “You wound me so easily.”

“You make it too easy,” you commented as you walked past him. Aron shot a brief look towards your follower before matching your pace. He leaned towards you, lowering his voice to a whisper, and holding his hand to the side of his mouth to amplify the effect of being secretive about it. You chuckled, waiting for what he was about to tell you.

“Who’s the hotshot?” he questioned. You made a small grunt, moving your hand towards Wufei. “Wufei, Aron. Aron, Wufei,” you simply said, not bothering to explain things further. Aron shot a quick smile over his shoulders towards Wufei before he leaned closer again. 

“You like?” you questioned, obviously enjoying this conversation more than you should. It was a long known fact to you that Aron was into other men. When the two of you got together, you were often found admiring the interior of the gym or some local club, which actually meant that you would be checking out the guys that came to train. 

“Hell yeah,” Aron exclaimed, almost forgetting to be secretive about it. “You know I like tall, dark and mysterious. So now the one billion dollar question. Which way does he swing?” You laughed, shaking your head in answer. 

“Sorry, Aron. Maybe better luck next time.” Aron pouted.

“The great guys are always taken,” he muttered.

“Or gay,” you told him. You both looked at each other before bursting out in laughter. 

“So?” Aron began as you reached the mats. “I take it you came to spar?”

“Does me stopping in front of the mats usually mean anything else?” you shot back, placing your bag on a nearby bench. Aron ignored your sarcastic reply and looked at Wufei. You saw him seize him up and you rolled your eyes in good humor. “Forget it, Aron.”

“Hey!” he shot back. “Nobody said I can’t look,” he whispered as he leaned closer. “You fighting him?” he questioned, suddenly serious. You blinked before turning towards Wufei. 

“No. He just came along. I figured he could use the work out.” If you had it your way, that sparring session Wufei was so keen about wasn’t going to happen today!

“Why?” 

“That’s a long story,” you simply told him as you grabbed your water and a small towel, placing them on the bench. “But, I can assure you that it involves Duo and one of his usual practical jokes.” Aron looked from you to Wufei and back again before a bright smile bloomed on his lips. 

“I see.”

“No, you don’t!” you quickly stated, waving your hands in front of you. “It’s not like that,” you hissed at him as Wufei shot you both a strange look. 

“Just take care of my girl, man,” Aron stated as he moved away. He briefly stopped before Wufei to throw him a hard look. “Hurt her, and you’ll pay for it,” he simply stated before moving towards some of the weight lifting equipment. You groaned, slapping the palm of your hand against your forehead. 

“Don’t pay any attention to him,” you moaned out as you shot a brief, though mild glare at Aron. “He clearly doesn’t have the facts straight.”

“I knew that before he stared speaking.”

“I heard that!” Aron shot back as he winked at you. 

“You’ll hear a lot more if you don’t stop putting your nose where it doesn’t belong!” you shot back, though the smile on your lips was clearly a sign that you weren’t angry. You sighed when Aron ignored you. “So,” you began as you turned towards Wufei. “I’m going to change my clothes and spar with Aron considering I did promise him I’d do so. Enjoy yourself,” you stated as you grabbed your bag and made your way towards the dressing rooms. The man didn’t have to know that was a lie. Aron wouldn’t mind all that much if you didn’t spar with him. In fact, you were downright sure that he wouldn’t mind watching you and Wufei spar. He did always proclaim he loved a good show. 

You quickly changed into more comfortable clothes, a simple sports top, some fitting shorts and a pair of sneakers. You made sure that your hair was held together in a ponytail, and stayed out of your way. Once that was done, you dropped your bag into a small locker and made your way towards the treadmill. After an unexciting five mile run, you made your way towards the mats. Aron was already waiting. He was lying on the mats, staring at the ceiling. 

“I thought you were lifting weights?” you shot back. You usually had to pull him away from those equipments and beg him to spar with you. Aron shrugged. When his head was once more turned towards you, you narrowed your eyes at the smile you saw on his lips. “What are you thinking?” you questioned, instantly wary about his intentions. 

“Nothing,” he innocently answered you. “How’s the new book coming along?” he questioned, obviously trying to change the topic. You snorted, you wouldn’t let it go that easily. 

“Well enough. Now back to the topic at hand,” you began as you offered him a hand up. He accepted it, letting you pull him to his feet. “Whatever you’re thinking, I suggest you don’t do it.”

“I’m merely forging my battle plans.”

“Think you’ll lose again?” you shot back at him, a victorious smile blossoming on your lips. 

“Lose? Honey,” Aron began, placing his hand on your shoulder. “You’ll be the one nursing the bruises tonight.”

“Bring it on,” you stated, narrowing your eyes at the challenge presented to you. Aron didn’t need any more. He turned and moved towards the center of the mats. You copied his movements, lifting your hands to protect your face, an indication that you were ready. “Ready?” you questioned, smirking as Aron did the same. 

“I was born ready,” he shot back. Aron made the first move, flinging his right fist forward. You turned sideways, blocking the hit with one of your own arms. You grabbed his arm before he could pull it back and used your grip on it to pull him further towards you. Aron, obviously already accustomed to your fighting, had been expecting that and didn’t resist. He knew what was coming next. 

Not one to disappoint, you lifted your knee, ready to force it against his stomach. Aron used his other hand to protect that area, forcing your knee to bounce back without having hit its goal. Aron didn’t waste a second. He used your grip on his arm against you, twisting his body so that he was now holding onto your arm and forcing it behind your back. You relaxed your arm as much as you could, using the elbow of your other arm to hit Aron against the ribs. He groaned, releasing you immediately. 

You turned towards him again, knowing you had to keep moving. You circled each other, both waiting until the other one made the first move. This time, it was you who made the first move. Fisting your left hand, you threw it at him. He blocked it. You had been expecting that. You pulled your left hand back, and without delay, you threw your right one at him. You hit him against the shoulder. Aron narrowed his eyes when he felt the first of many small bruises begin to form. You smirked. 

“Ready to quit yet?” you questioned. 

“I didn’t even feel that,” he shot back, obviously not wanting to admit that you had hurt him. Just like that, he was ready for the rest. He came at you with a right fist carrying so much strength behind it that it made you step back.


	8. Chapter 8

The fight went on until you were both breathing hard. You weren’t sure how long you both had been at it, but it was clear that you had someone watching you. You had been feeling that gaze on you for a while already, but you had been too focused on Aron to search for whoever was watching you. 

“Calling it quits for tonight?” you questioned Aron.

“Tired already?” he questioned you. 

“A bit,” you answered honestly. You knew Aron didn’t like admitting defeat. You had no such problems. Besides, you knew you were both tiring, and as much fun as this was, tired people began to lose control. It would only take a few more minutes before something would go wrong. You preferred not ending up involuntarily hurting him. You both smirked at the same time. Aron moved closer, offering you his hand. You clasped it tightly. 

“A draw,” he stated with a wink. 

“A draw,” you agreed. “It’s better than the previous time, Aron,” you stated with a chuckle. “I still remember that surprised expression on your face when I kicked your butt.”

“I was coming down with something,” Aron stated as he shot you a glare that didn’t pack any heat. “I wasn’t at my best.”

“Sure,” you stated, finally turning towards the bench that held your water bottle. You blinked in surprise when you saw Wufei sitting there, watching you and Aron with an expression you couldn’t read. Aron, obviously not finding that situation in the least strange, merely walked towards him. He sat down next to him with a big, theatrical sigh, resting his elbow on Wufei’s shoulder as if they had been buddies for a long time already.

“I swear that girl has more energy than me sometimes. I think you need to do more productive things next time she decides to come here.” You blushed, instantly understanding what Aron was hinting at. 

“Aron!” you screamed, quickly storming over to stop him from saying anything more. Aron laughed, ducking your hands that were trying to hit him over the head.

“I think I’ll go take a shower now,” he quickly stated before disappearing into the direction of the men’s dressing room. 

“Sometimes I wonder why I bother with him,” you muttered as you watched him flee. 

“He taught you how to fight,” Wufei commented. You blinked, wondering if he meant that as a question or as an observation. 

“Yeah. He and a few other guys here. Aron’s one of the owners of this gym.”

“They teach anyone who wants to fight?”

“No,” you stated, remembering how much you had to pressure them into teaching you in the first place. “I had to beg them for it for a good month. I told them I simply wanted to learn how to defend myself. It wasn’t until that entire thing with Jason happened that they finally started teaching me.”

Wufei raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You learned that in six months?” 

“Not … exactly,” you hesitantly stated. His reaction was instantaneous. His dark gaze was focused on you, urging you to explain yourself. When you didn’t, he did it for you.

“He hit you before then.”

“It was barely a slap,” you commented, quickly grabbing your water bottle and towel before moving towards your own dressing room. He didn’t stop you. At the time, you were so grateful to have made your escape, that you didn’t think further about it. It was only after your slightly long shower that you came to see there was a fault to your earlier escape plan. As you walked to the front of the gym, you saw Aron sitting at a small table, Wufei sitting next to him. It was obvious they were talking about something that wasn’t all that pleasant. 

“Ready to go?” you questioned, not bothering to find out what they were having a conversation about. 

“Yes.” Wufei stood up, grabbed his bag and shook hands with Aron. When he walked past you, Aron briefly grabbed your wrist, making it clear that there was something he wanted to talk to you about. 

“I’ll be out in a minute,” you called as Wufei was about to step outside. He grunted his answer before disappearing from sight. 

“What’s up?” you questioned, turning towards Aron.

“He cares for you, [Name].”

That made you blink. “He’s not my boyfriend if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“I know how it is. He explained his bet with Duo.”

“Oh,” you simply commented. “Then what do you mean?”

“He asked me what I knew about Jason.”

You instantly narrowed your eyes. “And what did you tell him?”

“The truth as I know it.”

“Damn, Aron. He doesn’t need to know those things,” you stated, obviously upset with your friend. 

“If Jason had the balls to ignore the restraining order against him, then I have reason to worry for your safety.”

Your expression darkened. “So that conversation was enlightening to you both,” you stated dryly, not liking it for one bit. 

“We worry about you, [Name],” Aron explained, a concerned expression on his face. 

“You don’t need to. I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”

“I know you can, but that doesn’t stop us from worrying.”

“Look, Aron,” you began as you took a deep breath. Aron, however, didn’t let you say what you wanted to. 

“No. You look, [Name]. We’re your friends, and as part of that job description, we worry about you.”

“You don’t need to,” you muttered, crossing your arms over your chest in a stubborn motion. 

“We know,” he stated, his gaze slowly moving past you and towards the doors of the gym. “And I hope that we can leave that part of our job to someone else now.”

“You never stop implying, do you?” you shot back exasperate about his behavior. 

“Not when it involves your possible love life.”

“It’s only for one month.”

“Time can change many things,” Aron shot back, again implying things you weren’t all that keen about hearing. You snorted, already turning around. 

“Until next time, Aron.”

“Bye. Just think about it though,” he shouted just as you opened the doors. You waved, not bothering to look back at him. Wufei was leaning against the wall to your right, obviously waiting for you to finish your conversation with Aron. 

“Traitor,” you muttered as you moved past him. A brief smirk flashed over his lips as he followed you towards your car.

“Consider it payment for not sparring with me.”

“We never agreed on a certain time.”

“Next time you come here,” he stated after a few seconds of silence. You shook your head, not quite believing he was pushing this as hard as he was. 

“You shouldn’t have asked him,” you told him right before you reached the car. 

“You obviously weren’t going to tell me the things I need to know.”

“It wasn’t something you needed to know.”

He didn’t respond to that, but you felt his disagreement. You knew this conversation was far from over yet. You couldn’t wait for the rest of his month to end. You couldn’t wait for this to be over, for you to be alone again. Although, you would miss the food and the fact that you didn’t have to do any of the usual chores. You sighed. Some things were not easy to give up on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the plot thickens. Can you escape explaining things to him? Will things heat up between you and Wufei? Find out everything and more ... but not right now ^_~ 
> 
> That's it for now. Hope you guys enjoyed it and rememeber: reviews are always appreciated :D


	9. Chapter 9

The ride back to your apartment was made in silence. Only when you stood in the elevator, did you finally speak up. 

“Don’t try something like that again,” you warned him. “I don’t appreciate people snooping through my life.”

“I wasn’t snooping,” he merely stated in his defense. 

“If that wasn’t snooping, I’m the queen of New York.” He snorted, probably trying to picture you as the statue of liberty or something. 

“Then perhaps I should start addressing you with ‘your grace’.”

You, obviously, didn’t find it funny. You glowered at him. When the elevator started opening it’s door, you beat a hasty retreat towards your apartment. You were even feeling the need to lock the door behind you, leaving him standing in the hallway as punishment. But, then again, you weren’t sure if he was going to leave. For all you knew, he might choose to simply make his camp right before your door. Your neighbors would have a field day. The rumors would know no end …

“I’m doomed,” you grumbled, leaving the door open. It would save you more trouble in the end. 

“With Duo as your friend, I agree,” he helpfully stated as he closed the door behind him. You turned towards him, your hands on your hip, your eyes narrowed, and your mouth forming a thin line. You were growing angry with his nonchalant behavior about this. Didn’t he understand that he had crossed a very thin line?!

“My life is my own,” you growled at him. “Just because you happen to spend the next twenty days in my apartment, doesn’t make you entitled to knowing all there is to know about me! I am entitled to my secrets!”

“You make it sound like you want to have secrets,” he voiced, his own eyes narrowing in thought. You blinked, not having expected that. Anger, yes. A need to defend his actions, sure. Calling you on your need for secrets, not in the slightest.

“To a stranger, yes,” you merely grumbled when you managed to focus again. 

Your anger was beginning to leave you again. You weren’t even sure why you were so angry to begin with. Was it perhaps the fact that he had found out so easily about the weakest moment in your life? Or maybe it was the fact that you preferred to have him know as little as he could about you? The less he knew, the less you would feel like he was part of your life, and the less you would feel attached to him. Okay, now you were making it look like he was your pet. Although, technically, he was your slave … You blinked, quickly shaking those thoughts away. 

“The next time I see Duo, we’re going to have a long and hearty conversation,” you whispered, rubbing at your eyes to get rid of the sudden tiredness you felt. It turned out that such a conversation was sooner in the making then you had thought. You had planted your ass in the couch only fifteen minutes ago, your entire focus on the movie that was being aired, when the devil himself was knocking on your door. 

You shot Wufei a dull look, but he was clearly too immerged in the book he was reading to be of much help. You sighed, growled something unintelligent about how helpful having a slave was, and stood up. 

“What brings you to my humble abode on a day such as this?” you dully questioned Duo. He merely shot you a carefree smirk. 

“I missed you,” he merely stated, moving passed you without you having invited him in. You grumbled about his rude ways all the way to your spot on the couch. Wufei shot you both a curious look from where he sat on the armchair to your right. Deeming it harmless, he continued reading his latest find. You were secretly worried about what he truly thought about the book he was now holding. It was one of your older ones, the first to actually break through, though that still didn’t mean you were a famous author. 

“Aron called me an hour ago,” he whispered as he shot a brief concerned look your way. “Said you visited the gym earlier.”

“I doubt that I owe you an explanation about why I go to the gym,” you told him pointedly. 

“I know about the fighting lessons they’ve been giving you, [Name]. Have known about those since you first started nagging for them.”

“I don’t nag,” you warned him, something he obviously chose to ignore. 

“That’s beside the point,” he stated, quickly continuing so you couldn’t chew him out about it. “He also told me he and Wufei had a very enlightening conversation.” You rolled your eyes, remembering you hadn’t been able to make your opinion about that conversation clear enough. “What I came over to speak to you about is why you didn’t tell me that you were making such progress with him.”

“I don’t think that’s any of your,” you began before his words truly registered. When they did, however, … “What?!” 

“I thought I would be the first one to know you two were an item.”

“We’re not!” you growled out, shooting him a warning look to keep quiet if he wanted to keep on living. “And how many times do I have to tell you that before you’ll let it rest.”

“But, [Name],” he whined, a pout already on his lips. “Isn’t it about time you found someone? And I know it’s already long past time for him to get laid,” Duo whined with a short nod of his head towards Wufei. 

“Maxwell!” the aforementioned man shouted, obviously not happy with Duo’s words. Duo turned towards him, an innocent expression on his face. 

“What?” he questioned, blinking his eyes in a way you thought he meant as disarming. You sighed, shaking your head in the progress. 

“Isn’t it about time you got laid, Duo?” you shot back at him. For a brief moment, the entire room was silent. Then, …

“Is that a proposition?” 

You blinked, taken aback by his evenly spoken words. Wufei, however, wasn’t taking so long as you were in voicing his thoughts about the matter. He promptly placed his book to the side and stood up. For a brief moment, Duo looked very nervous. Then, his mischievous look was back. They stared each other down as Wufei approached. Only when he grabbed Duo’s collar and lifted him up, did Duo finally started seeing the threat his friend posed. 

“It was just an innocent question,” he started saying, but he was ignored. Wufei didn’t stop dragging him until he reached the front door. Once there, he simply pushed Duo outside and closed the door before his shocked face. Grumbling as he returned, he shot you a brief look before he once more continued with his book. 

“You do know he barely spend five minutes inside, right?” You just had to ask. 

“Hn.”

“Glad you know the importance of a social visit,” you mumbled, turning back to the television screen and the movie you had paused. All through the movie, though, you couldn’t help your eyes from straying. It wasn’t that the movie was boring. Though, between this movie and Wufei, you figured that man would always beat the movie. You wondered why you hadn’t been having this problem earlier. Was it the fact that you had watched him work out only hours before? Was it the fact that you had slept in the safety of his arms this morning? Whatever it was, it was causing a great deal of confusion inside of you. 

You had admitted that he was handsome, intelligent and decent. The only thing you didn’t quite like about him was the fact that he kept digging deeper and deeper into your life. Soon, if you weren’t careful, he would find out about other things you weren’t proud of.


	10. Chapter 10

Not another word had been spoken about the gym, Aron’s conversation with Wufei, or even Duo’s very brief visit. When the movie had ended, you had bid Wufei a goodnight, and had disappeared into your bedroom. Now, after having changed into your pajama and brushed your teeth, you crawled into bed with the hopes of good dreams. Sadly, though, you couldn’t have been farther from the truth …

It was happening all over again. You were in a dark ally, Jason and his friends gathered around you, arguing about with some tuff looking guy about something you couldn’t understand. Then, out of nowhere, Jason moved, hitting the stranger in the jaw. You flinched when his gang instantly reacted, encasing you all, more than one person looking murderous and ill intended. The leader lifted his hand, telling them to stand down. The message was clear to you; Jason was his and his alone. You took a step backwards unsure what was going to happen, but knowing you wouldn’t like it. One of Jason’s friends, however, didn’t want you to retreat. He stepped behind you, blocking your exit. 

And then, unexpectedly, the man pushed you forward, towards Jason. And, the damn coward you had as a boyfriend actually grabbed your wrist and practically threw you at the guy he had hit. You stumbled forward, trying to find a balance you had lost, but you couldn’t stop from ending up bumping against the gang’s leader. The man looked livid when Jason turned tail and ran, his friends not far behind him. 

“Cowards,” the leader growled, his hands grabbing hold of your shoulders in a bruising grip. “The asshole’s mine,” he added in a dangerous snarl and, without a single look towards you, pushed you to the side. You twisted your ankle as you tried to keep upright yet failed to do so. You hit the ground hard, your skull crashing none to gently against a nearby dumpster. The gang was gone before you could blink. You didn’t care too much about them, though. Your head was thumping in pain, blood slowly oozing from a small cut on your left temple, ….

….

You shot up in bed, your body shivering in the chill morning air. You pressed one hand over your lips, desperately keeping the angry scream from leaving you. It had been such a long time since you had last dreamed about that scene. You forced yourself out of bed, telling yourself over and over again that it was nothing but a distant memory. It shouldn’t be racking havoc on your mind. 

You dry-washed your face, forcing yourself to calm down. Sadly, it wasn’t working as well as you had hoped it would. So, because you truly needed to push past this memory related nightmare, you decided you needed something stronger. You softly opened the door and slipped outside, making sure you kept the noise to an absolute minimum. You didn’t want to wake your guest after all. Who knew what he would think about your solution. A quick look in the direction of the couch told you Wufei was still asleep. 

You moved further down the room, slowly walking closer towards the kitchen. Once there, you quickly located a small glass and a still full bottle of whiskey. Your first glass was quickly emptied, the dark liquid burning its way down your throat. You nearly ended up couching from the unexpected sensation, barely managing to control it before you woke Wufei. 

But, even with one glass downed, it still wasn’t enough. You poured another, drank another, and still ended up being dissatisfied. You were about to pour your third glass when the lights suddenly flickered on, managing to catch you by surprise and leave you blinking in obvious wonder. You didn’t move, your empty glass in one hand, the bottle of whiskey in the other, and some liquid having already dripped into your glass. 

Wufei stood before you, staring at you in confusion. His eyes flickered from you to the bottle and back again, a small scowl forming on his face. He began to approach your still unmoving form. It was enough to make you move. You took a step backwards, instinctively knowing he was going to take your bottle away from you, something you weren’t ready to relinquish just yet. 

“Give the bottle to me,” he told you when your back ended up hitting the fridge. His hand was stretched towards you, his message once again clear. 

“It’s mine,” you simply stated, mentally cheering yourself on for keeping a steady voice. It was a miracle you hadn’t dropped both bottle and glass when you had first seen him standing there, dressed in nothing but his boxers. 

It took an amazingly great effort to keep your eyes from straying. It wasn’t only your eyes that were insisting on betraying you, your thoughts, too, wanted to fly straight to the gutter. Just the idea of that vast plane of hard muscle, broad shoulders, bronzed skin … Your hands tingled with the need to move them across his body, wanting to know the feeling of skin strung tight over firm muscles. 

“You shouldn’t be drinking this late at night.”

You shivered slightly. His deep voice was making it hard for you to keep your mind on the matter at hand, which was protecting your bottle. Instead, though, you couldn’t help think how you could possibly end up in bed again, this time having him there as well. Yes, it would be quite the treat. You could …

“You’re not the boss of me,” you shot back with a scowl, quickly shaking your head to get rid of those previous dangerous ideas. You had known you were sexually frustrated, but to think it had progressed this far beyond your acknowledgement. 

“There are other ways to deal with whatever it is you’re trying to forget.” 

Your mouth formed a thin line, hating the fact that he knew so much about you already. Then again, a small part of your mind agreed with him. It would be quite easy for you to forget all about that nightmare if he was in your bed, your hands moving across his chest, your lips brushing against …

No! It wasn’t safe to go there!

“I’m not trying to forget,” you stubbornly persisted, even though that was exactly what you had been trying to do. 

“Then why start drinking in the middle of the night?” he shot back, clearly not convinced by your denial. You grumbled something unintelligent. For a long time, you merely looked at Wufei, wondering if you had a chance of slipping by him with your bottle still in your possession. Eventually, you figured out those chances weren’t very high. That realization only made you sigh deeply. 

“You’re my slave,” you began as you moved the bottle closer to your chest. “And do I need to remind you that this is MY life,” you added in a grumble, clearly upset that you had to adjust your lifestyle to him being here. 

“Just because I lost that bet and now have to deal with the consequences, doesn’t automatically mean that I have to watch you destroy your life.”

“A few glasses aren’t going to destroy my life,” you told him quickly. “ You act as if I’m an alcoholic, which I’m not!”

“Then you won’t have any problem putting that bottle down.”

You narrowed your eyes, your dislike for the idea becoming visible. You kept watching him, kept hoping he would just let it drop. When no such thing seemed to happen anytime soon, you growled another few curse words. 

“Fine,” you agreed, not liking him winning this, but not willing to continue this discussion with him either. “It didn’t taste right anyway. Besides,” you continued, watching him warily, “you’ll be out of my life for good in little over two weeks.”

He stiffened, obviously not having expected that. Maybe it was because of the alcohol you had already indulged in, or maybe it was because you were too tired from another night that had been interrupted by nightmares, but you swore you saw something close to sorrow flash in his gaze. 

“I’m still here now, and I’m not going to tolerate you getting drunk the way you are trying to do now.”

“What? Got something against whiskey? Had I known that I would’ve grabbed a bottle of bourbon.”

“You know perfectly well what I mean,” he shot back, his scowl once more back in place. 

“Maybe,” you agreed, averting your gaze. His hand, the one that had briefly been lowered again during your earlier stubborn refusal, once more raised. You clenched your teeth tightly together. This was your life, your home, your way of dealing with things!

It wasn’t like you did this every night. In fact, it was the first time you found yourself drinking in the middle of the night. You had figured now was as good a time as any other to find out if drinking truly helped with pushing those memories away. Clearly, however, you weren’t going to find that out tonight. 

“The bottle,” he once more pushed, his voice calm and even, his patience only adding to your anger. 

“Fine,” you growled, harshly pushing the bottle with excess force into his hand, before stopping your way past him. You dropped the empty glass on the sink right before you exited the kitchen. “See if I ever accept one of Duo’s ‘presents’ again,” you complained loudly as you strode back towards your room. You slammed the door shut, a clear statement to Wufei to leave you the hell alone. He obviously didn’t do non-verbal signals of anger, because the moment you were sitting on your bed, he knocked on your door.


	11. Chapter 11

“Get lost,” you growled, still upset about him trying to dictate what you could or couldn’t do in your own home. He, as much as you expected him to, ignored you completely, simply entering your room. 

“I see your knowledge about the English language still hasn’t changed for the better,” you snarled as you threw a pillow at him. He easily sidestepped it, not even bothering to say anything about your aggressive behavior. “Next I might be tempted to tell you to fuck me and see what you’ll do then,” you told him with a scowl on your face. His only response was a deep sigh. 

You watched him as he suddenly seemed doubtful about something, but that only lasted a few seconds. Then, as if he had finally come to a decision, his eyes hardened, and he quickly approached you. He took a seat next to you. You didn’t move, merely watched him warily. After all, this was your room and your bed. The man could do what he wanted, but you weren’t going to relinquish this! 

“Something is upsetting you.” 

You laughed bitterly.

“No shit, Sherlock,” you shot back. “I can see why you’re such a good Preventer,” you added in a mocking voice. He growled, but he didn’t take the bait. He merely ignored whatever you said, still obviously trying to make you tell him what was bothering you. 

“Why are you so reluctant to take the offered help?”

“You offering?” you questioned bitterly, giving him a dull look.

“Yes.” 

You snorted at his answer. 

“You better think twice before saying something like that. You never know what I might say next.”

“I can take it,” he answered you, clearly convinced about his own statement. 

“Want to bet?” you muttered lowly with narrowed eyes. Your gazes locked and, for just a moment, it was like you were battling him with just your gaze. Then, as if something shifted, you found yourself calming. 

“You can trust me,” he told you honestly, somehow seeing the change within you. You blinked, not knowing why, but you believed him. “I’m not going to tell anyone about what you share with me tonight.”

“Even if it’s my body?” you questioned teasingly, wanting to see his reaction to that. Besides, he was still scarcely dressed, something you hadn’t forgotten about. 

“I meant with what’s troubling you,” he growled, clearly coming close to losing his patience and calm.

“Wasn’t that clear for me,” you muttered, sad that he hadn’t taken you up on your offer. You looked away from him, slightly embarrassed, not sure about what you should do now. “What makes you think no one knows about this already?” you questioned, still trying to keep yourself from believing him completely. 

“Are you telling me someone already knows?”

“Yes,” you answered quickly, thinking about the cat that often found its way towards the fire escape near your window. 

“A living person?” he pushed, almost able to sense that you weren’t completely truthful. You hesitated, but it seemed it was all the answer he was looking for. “Thought so,” he muttered with a smirk on his lips. You growled, glaring at your wall instead of answering him. 

“It’s normal for people to keep secrets,” you growled as you crossed your arms in front of your chest. You were getting agitated again. 

“Not if those secrets make you –”

“If you say reckless, I’m going to kill you,” you snapped as you glared at him form the corner of your eyes. 

“Act foolishly,” he merely ended. You snorted, clearly not amused by his word choice. “A sane person wouldn’t have picked a fight with the one person they have a restraining order against.”

“He came after me,” you stated defensively. 

“You antagonized him,” he shot back, clearly not convinced by your words. 

“He pissed me off,” you shot back. Wufei kept his silence, making his point all the clearer by doing so. 

“Fine,” you growled out, throwing your hands in the air. “I’m struggling with some minor things. In my defense, a lot of people are struggling with certain things!” He raised an eyebrow, clearly disagreeing with you on your word choice. You scowled. “Maybe, for me, it’s more like a lot of minor things related to one big thing,” you grumbled. 

“Tell me about it,” he simply stated. You rolled your eyes, shifting on the bed until you were resting your back against the headboard. 

“I already told you,” you muttered, looking at the sheets instead of his face. 

“You barely skimped the surface. According to Aron, there’s a lot more to it than just that one incident.” You nibbled on your bottom lip with your teeth, a clear sign that you were nervous. 

You slowly looked up, once more meeting his gaze. You didn’t understand why, but when you met his gaze, you honestly felt that you could tell him everything. It felt like nothing you had experienced before. You could trust him to listen, to be there for you, to protect you from danger. And though that feeling was a great thing to experience, it also left you wondering what would happen when the time came for him to leave. You took a deep breath, and began telling your story. 

“I had just met Jason when he and his friends had gotten into a fight with some guy. Instead of finishing what he started, one of Jason’s friends pushed me towards that guy. And Jason, instead of helping me, choice to flee with his friends.”

“There’s no honor in that.”

You snorted. “Jason is far from an honorable man.”

“Then why did you stay?” 

You shrugged. “He asked for a second chance. I know it was stupid, but I thought I felt something for him. Jason isn’t good at many things, but he’s great at lying and manipulating people into doing what he wants them to do.”

Wufei grunted, taking your reasons for what they were. He was looking at you with such a strange expression that it made you wonder what he was thinking. You took another deep breath, telling him the rest of what had transpired between you and Jason. 

“I started asking Aron and the other guys for lessons in self defense after that. It took me a month before I could convince them. They finally understood why I wanted those lessons after Jason had hit me. I wasn’t about to let something like that happen again.”

“Why did he hit you?”

Another shrug. 

“Hell if I know. We were arguing, he was drunk, I started cussing him, he’d been stressed out from work.” You sighed deeply. “Jason’s just someone that doesn’t like to lose an argument. If he’s close to losing one, he gets angry. And as you already saw, he doesn’t stop to think about what he’s doing when he’s angry.”

He looked mad, you realized. He’s body was stiff, his hands fisted, his eyes narrowed, and his mouth nothing more than a thin line. He wasn’t looking at you anymore, but you understood that his eyes would probably be darker, a storm of anger hidden in their depths. 

“You’re angry,” you stated softly. “Why?”

“There is no excuse for a man to hit a woman.”

You laughed humorless. “Doesn’t stop them from doing so.” You stopped laughing the moment he looked at you again, his eyes a raging storm of emotions. 

“We’re supposed to protect women.” You felt strangely offended by that statement. 

“If you’re saying that women are merely supposed to be in charge of the household and leave the fighting to the men, I will hit you,” you threatened. He was silent for a few seconds, making you think that was exactly what he had been thinking. 

“It’s not that,” he finally stated. “Where I come from, it’s a man’s job to protect his family. No man has the right to hit a woman who’s defenseless.” You stayed quiet after that, realizing that his upbringing had been very strict about that. 

“We’re not defenseless. I am not defenseless!” you stated instead, feeling a need to express that again. 

“I know,” he answered, somehow understanding that he had made you believe that was how he saw you. You felt your sudden anger evaporate. The only thing that was left when that happened, was the fear. The only things to flash through your mind were the nightmare’s that were born from painful memories. 

“I’m not one to be afraid of things,” you stated softly, looking down at your hands that were folded in your lap. “But sometimes I wake up after a dream, and I forget that he can’t hurt me anymore.” You snorted. “It’s stupid, I know.”

“It’s not stupid.” 

He sounded so sure and honest that it made you look up at him again. His eyes were guarded, almost as if he was hiding something. What caught your attention, however, was that you saw something else, something that made you trust him completely. 

“You can’t be strong all the time.”

“I know,” you stated, yet not understanding what he was trying to say.

“Trust your friends to be there when you can’t hold on to that strength. You can’t solve everything by yourself. Sometimes it takes time, and sometimes it takes trusting your friends.” 

You blinked, understanding that you had been trying to do exactly that. You had been trying to deal with it by yourself. Aron and Duo knew one part of the story, not both. Wufei knew both now, and you wondered what he was planning to do with that knowledge. 

“I just wanted to be as strong as them.”

“You are, in your own way.” 

You smiled softly. “Thank you,” you whispered, understanding that he had just given you a compliment. 

He grunted, brushing your gratitude off as if it was nothing. You both remained quiet for a few minutes. Then, he stood up. You knew he was going to go back to the couch, leaving you to get some more rest. However, instinctively, your hand shot out, stopping him from leaving. He looked at you in confusion.

“Please stay.” As if realizing what you had said, you quickly ducked your head. Your hand slipped away from his wrist, falling back down to your side. “Sorry,” you began. 

“Why?” 

You blushed, not bothering to look up at him. “Your presence helped last time,” you told him, your voice not betraying how nervous you felt for asking this of him. He didn’t move, making you think that he was actually thinking this over. In your nervousness, you bravely ventured further, or was is stupidly? 

“I can order you if you want,” you softly stated. That earned you an amused snort. 

“Move over,” he simply stated, once more turning towards the bed. You quickly did so, making yourself comfortable on one edge of the bed. You felt the mattress dip as he crawled in after you. The blanket covered you both before he turned off the small bedside lamp you had turned on after your nightmare. 

You briefly wondered if you should turn around and actually move closer to him. Deciding that you had nothing to lose, you turned towards him and inched closer. When he didn’t say anything or move away, you carefully rested your head on his chest, smiling softly when he allowed you to do that. You breathed a sigh of relief as a safe and protected feeling settled over you. You were already half asleep when you registered his arm sneaking around your waist, holding you close as you slept.


	12. Chapter 12

You didn’t have a single bad dream that night. Just like when he had forced you to sleep on the couch, you slept without waking once. When morning came, you felt relaxed, well rested, and happy. You yawned as you snuggled closer to your warmth source. The hand on your hip moved, brushing over your side until it reached your ribs before moving back down towards your hip. You hummed in pleasure, still not quite ready to move away from this. 

“Do me a favor,” you muttered without opening your eyes or moving. 

“What?” he questioned, his voice clear from any sleep that your own still held. It told you he had been awake for quite some time already. You smiled softly when you realized that he had allowed you to stay as you were. 

“Sleep with me more often,” you told him. You knew how that sounded and you began blushing as your mind brought up some seriously interesting X-rated pictures. His chuckle informed you he thought your request was amusing. 

“Is that an order?” he questioned when you didn’t say anything else. 

“I can make it one,” you honestly told him. You moved closer to him, moving your arm until it reached his other side instead of merely resting on his stomach. “Forget it,” you muttered as you finally opened your eyes. “I am making it an order. Just don’t tell Duo.”

He snorted. “I’m not telling him anything. If he gets it in his head that this bet with me was a good thing, he won’t stop pestering me until I’m dead.”

You laughed. “Pretty sure he won’t pester you until you’re dead,” you stated. Wufei made a sound that made it clear he didn’t believe you. “I’m sure one of us is going to make good on our threats before you die.”

“Still thinking about killing him then?” he questioned, clearly amused by your current thoughts. 

“That man needs to learn that some things are not part of the need-to-know-friendship I have with him.”

“Need-to-know?” 

You hummed softly before answering him. 

“If he isn’t going to tell me everything about his relationship with that girl at the bar, I’m not going to tell him everything about my life.”

“That reminds me,” he began, a curious tone to his voice. “You didn’t tell me everything.”

“About what?” you questioned, finally lifting your body slightly so you could look at him. You waited for him to speak up, locking your gaze with his. 

“Do you publish under your own name?” he questioned after searching your gaze. 

“Eh?” you were confused for a few minutes, wondering what he was talking about. It was too early for a conversation like this.

“That book I started reading yesterday,” he began, and you realized he was talking about the book he had retrieved from your small book collection. You quickly pushed yourself into a sitting position, not wasting any time getting up, and quickly moved towards the bathroom before he could finish his question. 

“Do you know the author?” he questioned just before you disappeared from the room. 

“She has the same publisher as me,” you answered, not really lying. 

The rest of his questions were withheld when you closed the door behind you. You frowned, not really happy that he was so close to figuring out that you were the author of those books. Then again, maybe he had already figured it out and was just waiting for you to admit to it. You just knew he knew, no matter how much you were still denying it if he questioned you about it. You didn’t resent him knowing that, but you weren’t a big fan of it either. Damn! If he had just kept his mouth shut, you would still be enjoying his calming presence and his more than perfect body you had used as a pillow. 

After a long and relaxing shower, you finally decided you had been hiding in here long enough. When you entered the kitchen, eager to prepare a quick breakfast for yourself, you heard Wufei move towards the bathroom. A few minutes later, the sound of the shower was heard. No further questions were asked, and for that you were glad. 

Once your breakfast was finished, you moved towards the couch, relaxing and enjoying a few minutes of watching the television. Not a word was spoken about the earlier topic when Wufei emerged from the bathroom, making you believe that you were saved from further questioning. Though, you had to admit that you somehow knew things weren’t that easy with him. If he wanted to know something, he always seemed to find a way to get his answers. Last night as proof enough that such a statement was true. He was merely patient, abiding his time to strike. 

You sighed when you switched the television off and moved towards your laptop, preparing yourself for another long writing session. It didn’t take you all that long before you were lost in the world you could create on paper, caught between different intrigues and murders. When you finally took a break, it was already two in the afternoon. You groaned as your muscles screamed in protest. You should’ve learned by now that staying in one position for such long periods of time wasn’t good for you. 

“Finally taking a break?” Wufei questioned when you moved towards the couch, not even bothering to grab yourself something to eat. You literately let your body drop down, your face coming to rest on a strategically placed pillow. 

“You really like stating the obvious, don’t you?” you shot back at him. Your voice was muffled from the pillow you were hiding your head against. You lifted your head to gaze at your ‘slave’ in a thoughtful way. He, as if sensing you were thinking about something that involved him, was immediately suspicious of your motives. 

“What?”

You smirked as you thought about it further. “Remember the last time I sat too long before my computer?” you questioned. He nodded his head. “Well, considering I still have your services, I demand another massage.”

“You demand it,” he repeated, lifting an eyebrow. It almost felt like he was mocking you with that very gesture. You hummed, motioning towards your shoulders. 

“Listen to your master,” you told him as you lowered your face again. You weren’t sure if he was going to listen to you or not, but you jumped when his voice sounded right next to your ear. 

“Are you sure you want that?”

You swallowed nervously. “Yeah, I’m sure.” 

You watched him warily as a smirk began to form. He moved then, disappearing from your sight. You stiffened when you felt him place his legs on either side of your body, flinched slightly not soon after when you felt his hands against your shoulders. 

“So tense,” he muttered, making you wonder if he was going to lecture you about a need to move more often. 

You merely grunted in response. It wasn’t unreasonable for you to be this tense. You had a lot of stress these days. Not only had you yet another deadline steadily coming closer, you also a had a hunk of a man, one that was sinfully distracting, day AND night cooped up in the same apartment as you. And, as if all of that wasn’t enough, Jason had shown up again which caused your normally plentiful rest to become haunted by nightmares. 

You frowned ever so slightly, feeling like you were forgetting something important in that list of things that stressed you out. Had you mentioned that hunk of a man already? It was the same one that was currently sitting on your legs, a position that could be considered compromising should your friends ever see you like this. You groaned, easily loosing track of your thoughts when he encountered a muscle group that seemed quite stubborn about staying tense. 

“You should take more breaks,” he warned you. 

“I know, but I lose track of time so easily when I’m hit by inspiration.”

“It’s coming along then?” he questioned, sounding a bit eager to converse with you about your newest book. You frowned slightly. Should you be wary of his willingness to discuss your newest book? 

“Right there,” you muttered, sighing and relaxing against the pillow when his talented hands hit the right spot. “I might actually meet my deadline for once,” you stated in a soft whisper in response to his question. 

“When is it?”

“My deadline?” 

“Yes.”

“My first draft is due in two weeks,” you answered him, not understanding why that was so important to know. 

“What is it about?” 

The questions flowed from one into the other, barely leaving you any time to figure out what the it was you were telling him. You simply answered automatically, never once realizing he was actually looking for the answers you had denied him that morning. As you two talked, his hands never stopped moving over your muscles, massaging them into relaxation until you were almost ready to fall asleep. Your eyes were already drooping, your mouth forming a little pleased smile. 

“Why is he the suspect?” Wufei asked next, your mind more than unaware of how close you were to giving him exactly what he wanted to know. 

“He slept with the victim right before she turned up dead. Besides,” you muttered, moaning in pleasure when his hands traveled a bit lower. He was doing wonders for your shoulders and back. “He had the gun that killed her.”

“Hn.” You smiled when you heard his grunt. “Did he have motive?” 

You smirked. “You’ll have to read the book if you want to know about that.” You shivered when you realized his hands had stopped. One was resting against your lower back, his other you couldn’t feel. 

“Count on it,” he whispered, close to your ear. Your eyes shot wide open as you realized what he was doing. You swallowed, trying to calm your suddenly nervous body. 

“Are you making a move on me?” you questioned, your voice not betraying a single thing of what you felt. Your heart, however, was beating so fast that you were afraid of having a heart attack. 

You watched from the corner of your eyes as a smirk formed on his lips. It was a fleeting thought that pointed out that his smirk made him look like a God, one you didn’t mind hovering over you like, his hands already on your body. Now if only they would do more sinful things … 

“Do you want me to?” he questioned. You scowled when his voice didn’t give you any information about what he was thinking. You were just about to open your mouth and answer him, when someone knocked on your door. 

Wufei pulled back, much to your regret. He sighed as he stood up and calmly walked towards the door. You watched him the entire way there, your mind working overtime to figure out what that scene had meant to him. 

Though your first reaction was to blink in wonder when you saw Duo come into view like he didn’t have a care in the world, your second reaction was to dully stare at him. He had ruined a perfectly good if not a bit too sexual tinted scene. 

“You want something, Duo?” you questioned, not even bothering to stand up. You had been comfortable on that couch and you were hell bent on holding on to that comfortable feeling for as long as you could. 

“Just came to check up on you,” he stated happily. You rolled your eyes. 

“Wish you hadn’t,” you whispered lowly. 

“What was that?” 

“Nothing,” you quickly said as Duo looked at you in a suspicious manner. He kept looking at you for a few more seconds, probably hoping you would break and tell him what you had said. It didn’t happen though. 

“If you say so,” he finally muttered, actually pouting because you were ignoring him at that moment. He crossed his arms in front of his chest as he looked from you to Wufei and back again. “Did something happen?” he questioned suspiciously. 

“I’m getting the feeling we’ve already been over this,” you sighed out in exasperation, remembering his extremely short visit last night. 

“We probably have, but you didn’t agree with my point of view,” he stated, still looking between you and Wufei as if he could sense something had changed between the both of you. 

“You’re point of view being we should just dive straight into bed, no questions asked.”

“Yeah,” he eagerly agreed. You groaned. For once, you agreed whole heartedly with him. You very much would like to end up in bed with your new ‘slave’. If only the man would make a move …

“What did I do to deserve a friend like you?” you moaned, faking your exasperation. 

“Says the one who told me to get my act together and just dive into bed with that girl at the bar.”

“It worked, didn’t it?” you shot back, a smirk already on your lips. Duo rolled his eyes, clearly not agreeing with you on that. 

“I didn’t do it.”

“That’s beside the point,” you told him. “You wanted to. That’s what matters.”

“Have you seen her body?!” he shot back, clearly rising to the bait. “Any man would be an idiot not to want that.”

“It’s not something I fancy,” you dryly told him. 

“But you can’t deny she was hot.”

You snorted. “If you think that’s hot, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

“Referring to yourself, are you? ‘Cause I remember seeing most of that,” Duo confidently stated as he looked at you. You heard a sputtered noise and smirked when Wufei was actually beginning to glare at Duo. Duo noticed it too, if the growing smirk on his lips was any indication. “Oh, relax Wufei,” he stated as he threw an arm around his shoulders in a friendly hug, one that was not appreciated by Wufei. “Not like that.” Wufei’s glare grew in intensity as he looked at Duo in disdain. 

“Although I appreciate you coming here, I would love to see you leave again, Maxwell,” he growled out, pushing the other’s arm of his shoulder. You laughed softly, enjoying seeing the usually in control man so flustered about something that involved you. 

“Makes me think you prefer to be alone with [Name] again because I interrupted something.” Wufei’s glare grew even fouler as Duo suggested that. It only worked to make his smile grow bigger before he looked at you with obvious excitement. 

“Really?” he questioned. “So something did happen.”

“He was giving me a massage, Duo,” you dryly told him. You saw his expression change. You groaned, shaking your head in denial. “You never change, do you?” you questioned, already knowing what he was thinking. “There was no part that involved taking our clothes off,” you stated. Sadly enough, you added silently. 

“Kinky,” he whispered. You threw your pillow at him, actually managing to hit him square in the face with it. He laughed all the harder when you hit your head against the fabric of the couch. 

“Pervert!” you shouted in a muffled voice. You heard someone move closer to you and bravely lifted your face. You blinked when you were looking straight into Duo’s eyes. “What are you planning?” you questioned, easily recognizing that challenging look. His eyes moved to the side and you watched as he looked towards Wufei who had picked up a book and, as he started reading it, ignored the both of you. 

“Was it any good?” he questioned softly, though not soft enough. It was almost as if he wanted Wufei to overhear. You rolled your eyes. 

“It helped,” you merely stated. Duo winked at you, and you instantly knew he was going to do something that would make you feel embarrassed. You yelped when you felt him place his hands against your shoulders, his legs already on either side of your hips. “D-Duo!” you gasped, not really trusting him or his intentions. 

“Relax, [Name],” he whispered, actually managing to keep his voice to a mere whisper. You turned your head slightly, watching him suspiciously from the corner of your eyes. “I’m just making a point.”

“And that would be?” you dully questioned, though you kept your voice soft so only he could hear. 

“That there’s more going on here than meets the eye,” he simply stated, his eyes focused on something else. You would bet money that he was watching Wufei, trying to gauge his reaction to this. 

“You’re an idiot, Duo,” you muttered, once more hiding your face against the fabric of the couch. Duo laughed, clearly amused by all of this. 

“But I’ll prove my point,” he stated determinedly. You frowned, already sensing that something was going to be utterly bad about this. You stiffened when you felt his hands go lower and lower. 

“If you touch my butt, I swear I’ll make you pay, Maxwell,” you growled out when his hands reached your lower back and showed no sign of stopping their descent. You turned your head to glare at him, already prepared for the innocent expression you met. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Duo stated innocently, though his lips were tilted upwards. As if to prove you right, his hands inched further down. You had a sickening feeling he wasn’t going to stop. 

“Duo!” you growled, hoping he would heed the warning in your voice. Right before you were about to open your mouth again and yell something else at Duo, a chair scraped against the floor, indicating that someone had hastily stood up. Duo’s smile turned dangerous, clearly amused by the challenge he was about to be presented with. 

You blinked in wonder when Wufei grabbed Duo’s braid and, using his hold on the aforementioned braid, pulled him off the couch and off of you. Duo yelped, his hands automatically trying to grab his own braid, trying to stop Wufei from pulling his hair out. 

“Not the braid, man,” he yelled as Wufei simply pulled him towards the door without saying a single word. You sat up, watching them both with a hint of humor in your eyes. It seemed you had your very own knight in shining armor to defend your honor. That image alone was enough to keep the smile plastered on your lips. 

“Don’t bother coming again today,” Wufei stated as he opened the door and pushed Duo out. You laughed when you saw a brief flash of Duo’s pleased expression just before Wufei slammed the door shut. This scene, strangely enough, made you experience a brief sense of déjà-vu. 

“You do know you gave him what he wanted, right?” you questioned as Wufei walked back to his chair, picked up his book, and began reading it again. Wufei grunted, not bothering to answer you with real words. “He’s not going to let it go now.”

“If he knows what’s good for him, he will.”

“He never knows what’s good for him,” you pointed out to him. “He’s Duo, remember?”

Wufei thoughtfully looked towards the door. “Are you still contemplating killing him?” he suddenly questioned. You blinked before your lips twitched further upwards. 

“Maybe. Why?”

“I’ll help you bury the body,” he stated when he looked at you. You gaped at him for a few seconds, not really knowing if he was joking or not. For a moment, you thought he was being serious. Then, his lips tilted upwards, forming one hell of a sexy smirk. You laughed. 

“Teamwork,” you stated after you calmed down enough. “I like it.”

“Hn.” 

And just like that, he turned back to his book. You shook your head as you chuckled. He really was something else. Your stomach, however, chose that moment to make you aware of the fact that you still hadn’t eaten anything since that morning. So, without anything better to do, you got up and went in search of something to eat.


	13. Chapter 13

A bowl of cereal later, and you were found leaning against the wall, watching Wufei with a thoughtful expression. He, seemingly, didn’t so much as twitch under your scrutinizing gaze, making you wonder if he was even aware that you were staring so blatantly at him. Then, after a good five minutes, he closed his book with a deep sigh and placed it next to him. 

“What?” he questioned, clearly not happy about being watched that intensely for that long a period. You smiled, feeling slightly happy that you managed to pull his attention away from his precious book. 

“Nothing,” you merely stated, though you didn’t stop staring at him. 

“You should stop staring.”

“Why?” you shot back, not at all interested in stopping. Not only did it seem to annoy him, a definite plus in your opinion, but it also provided you with a more than perfect view. You were, after all, in desperate need for inspiration. He might as well be the inspiration you were looking for, your own personal muse. Would he laugh if you told him that?

“It’s bad for your eyes.”

You didn’t believe that for one second. You smiled softly, briefly staring at the window in contemplation, before your gaze once more settled upon Wufei. 

“It seems I do a lot of things that are bad for me,” you simply shot back, “According to you at least.”

“I see more than most would,” he merely stated, sounding way too sure about himself. You frowned, wondering if he saw how much you were attracted to him. Did he notice how often your eyes strayed towards him these last couple of days, or how much you hadn’t wanted to move away from him this morning? 

“I disagree,” you said after a couple of long silent seconds. “You see just as much as anyone else does.” That earned you his attention, his gaze connecting with yours. It wasn’t your imagination that recognized the arrogant tilt of his head while he listened. “You’re just a very stubborn bastard that never quits until you have what you want.”

His lips tilted upwards again, an honestly amused light shining in his eyes. Instead of taking it like an insult, something you knew Jason would’ve done, he merely took it as a compliment. 

“It gets me my results.”

The memory of last night flashed through your mind, your thoughts pointing out that he had definitely gotten his answers. You shook your head, an exasperated sigh passing your lips. 

“And then I wondered why Duo made this bet with you,” you muttered, not intending for him to overhear. 

It all seemed so logical all of the sudden. Yes, Duo knew how you preferred your men. He knew Wufei would definitely spark your interest. But you also suspected he had forced this man to become your slave because he, somehow, knew his friend wouldn’t let you walk around with your secrets for too long. Duo probably hoped you would be inclined to tell Wufei more than you’ve told him, maybe he even hoped you’d let this man help you finally move past it all. 

You couldn’t hold it against him though. These last few days had been more than confusing for you, but they’ve also been very interesting. Maybe this was the most interesting experience you had in nearly two years. Well, it was if you didn’t catalogue Jason’s drunken attacks as interesting. 

“He may be an idiot from time to time,” you muttered as you made your way to your bedroom. “But he’s got a sly streak in him that I seemingly can’t compete with.” 

If Wufei understood what you were talking about, he certainly didn’t voice it. You didn’t ask him it either.

“Going somewhere?” Wufei questioned when he saw you reappearing with your gym bag in hand. 

“To the gym,” you answered him, not really paying him or his reaction much attention. You felt the need to work of some tension born from the scene that had happened not that long ago. You thought that, maybe, you could get rid of this slowly building frustration if you went to the gym and asked Aron for another sparring match. Lord knew you would be doing some pretty stupid things if you didn’t get rid of it. The mere thought of jumping Wufei seemed to carry more merit these last few days, a definite sign that your frustration was getting out of hand. 

“I’m coming along,” he merely stated, not even asking if that was alright. You were left blinking at his now empty space while he gathered his things. 

“And if I say no?” 

“You have a reason to say no?” he shot back, slowly making his way towards you. You watched him carefully, all too clearly remembering what he had told you last night. The next time you would go to Aron’s gym, he would claim his sparring match with you. 

If you let him join you, it, somehow, didn’t make you feel like you would be getting rid of your frustrations as easily as you had thought. If he came, that is, you more than likely would be suffering from even more frustrations regarding him. 

Just the mere thought of having to face him on the mats, of having to come impossibly close to that distracting body of his before you would be able to punch or kick him; it was unnerving in more ways than one. 

“Maybe,” you supplied him as answer, not really going into detail about the what or why. “Fine,” you eventually sighed out, his staring becoming too much to bear. “You can come.” It was obviously stated with much reluctance, a feat that didn’t go unnoticed by him, even though he didn’t comment upon it. 

The ride was silent, but you had no intention of breaking it. When you finally arrived at the gym, it was blissfully empty. It seemed most people didn’t come in this late in the afternoon. 

“Aron?” you called out, obviously a bit confused as to where he was hiding. 

“[Name]?” Aron eventually yelled back, obviously surprised to have you appear in his gym at this time of hour. “I thought you wouldn’t be showing up for another three days,” he stated with a curious stare. 

“Yeah well, I’ve got some lingering frustrations I need to get out of my system.”

Again, you wondered if Wufei had any clue whatsoever what it was you were talking about. Aron accepted your answer without further questions, his attention quickly switching towards Wufei. 

“I see you brought your personal slave again,” he stated, eyeing Wufei in a very noticeable way. You chuckled, though you tried to hide it. “So sad he doesn’t swing my way,” Aron muttered mournfully, his head leaning towards you. You rolled your eyes, already more than used to his melodrama. 

“For you, yes.” You froze slightly when you realized what it was you had said. 

“So you admit it,” Aron stated, his eyes alight with humor. It was a good thing that Wufei had moved further away, perhaps just enough so that he wouldn’t hear what you were about to say next. 

“Sure. I have no problem admitting he is excellent eye candy.”

“True,” Aron agreed, suddenly looking pensive. “I still remember when you called my last boyfriend smoking hot.” It seemed Aron’s voice was loud enough for Wufei to overhear, his gaze landing on you again, the silent question all too visible. 

“Well,” you stated, blushing slightly when you met Wufei’s amused gaze. “He was smoking hot. You should consider it a compliment.”

Aron snorted “I did. Mark, however, didn’t need the boost to his ego.” 

You laughed, remembering all too easily how Mark had puffed out his chest like some proud peacock. 

“True,” you couldn’t help but agree. You dropped your bag on the bench next to the mats, silently retrieving your water bottle and placing it next to the bag. “Give me five minutes on the treadmill to warm up and I’ll be good to go,” you told Aron as you quickly took off your coat and training pants, leaving you in only some shorts and a sports top. You flexed your muscles as you watched those few people present.

“Sure,” Aron stated, all too obviously watching Wufei as he did the same. You rolled your eyes, leaning closer towards Aron unless you wanted Wufei to overhear this part. 

“Don’t ogle. That’s my job.”

Aron gave you an amused look. “You go, girl,” he laughed while you walked away.

After a good five minute run, you found yourself at the mats again, but there was no sign of Aron. 

“He got a call he had to accept,” Wufei suddenly stated from behind you. You helped, jumped, and quickly spun around to glare at him, completely ignoring his amused expression. 

“Did he mention how long it’ll take?” 

“No.”

You grunted in thought, feeling slightly disappointed. You had been looking forward to sparring with him again. And if, like you expected it to be, it was Aron’s boyfriend that had called, he could be there for hours. 

“I, however, am free,” Wufei stated as he took of his shoes. You stared at him as he walked towards the center of the mats. “And I remember you owning me a match.”

“Are you offering to be my sparring buddy?” you questioned, a bit uncertain if he was truly certain he wanted that. Wufei shot you a smirk in answer. You watched him carefully, trying to determine if this fight would leave you free of your frustrations or with more of them. 

“I should warn you,” you carefully stated as you walked towards him. “I play dirty.”

“You won’t have the chance to do so.” Wasn’t that a bit smug.

“It’s your body,” you stated with a barely there shrug. You, however, weren’t completely sure yet if you should really fight him without any protection. Aron usually wore it, knowing all too well how much you enjoyed using foul play. Then again, it was him, after all, that had taught you to do so. 

“She has a mean habit of kicking you where it hurts.” You blinked and turned to look at Aron. “I’m slightly hurt you replaced me so quickly,” he stated with a soft pout. “Although I don’t think I’ll mind being the onlooker for once.” That part was accompanied with an amused if not slightly excited glance towards Wufei. 

“You’re just saying that because I kicked your butt the last time.”

“It was a draw,” he quickly responded. 

“Whatever.” Another shrug. You turned back towards Wufei. “You sure you want to do this without any protection?”

“Yes.” 

He sounded so certain about it that it made you accept his decision, only adding to your determination to land at least one painful hit. “Fine, but don’t come complaining to me afterwards,” you warned him. You eased your shoulders, forced them to relax while you raised your fists. 

“I can easily beat you.” Again so damn certain if not slightly cocky about that fact. 

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” you countered with a mean smile on your lips. Something flashed in his eyes, making you a bit wary of what he was thinking about. 

“Want to make a bet about it,” he propositioned. You narrowed your eyes in contemplation. 

“What kind of bet?”

“A simple one. If I win, you owe me an honest answer.”

“That’s simple enough. And if I win?” you shot back. 

“That won’t happen.”

You scoffed. Now he was just too arrogant in your opinion. “And if I win?” you pressed once more, making him smirk. You blinked, nearly forgetting what it was you were about to do. 

“If you win, I’ll add another two weeks to my servitude.” 

You blinked, not having expected that. Humming in thought, you waited a few seconds before you answered him. It would, after all, be nice to have a home cooked meal for two extra weeks.

Yes, that was the only reason you were inclined to agree to this bet! 

“It’s a deal.”

You seized him up, wondering how you would survive two more weeks with him at your side. It took a few seconds to make your brain focus again on what you were about to do. You and him were going to spar, and you had every intention of winning. 

“Are you two going to start yet, or are you going to keep staring as if you’re mentally stripping the other.” Aron questioned in a bored tone. Without taking your eyes of your opponent, you raised your middle finger towards him, something he found immensely funny. 

Then, as if some unheard starting shot had been given, you moved forward, throwing your right fist at Wufei’s face. He easily blocked it, forcing you backwards with a fist of his own. You managed to block that one just in time, quickly changing your tactic and trying to kick him next. He gripped your leg, using his hold on it to throw you off balance. You fell down hard, but quickly got back up again. When you did, you noticed his superior smirk, something you wanted to wipe of his face. In return, you glared at him. 

“This isn’t over yet,” you hissed. 

He moved seconds after you had raised your arms again, and you barely managed to block his fist in time. He certainly wasn’t holding back on you, something you had expected him to do. You moved forward, throwing your arm towards the side of his neck, but he evaded it. You, however, had been expecting it and quickly took another step closer towards him, your left arm shooting forward, ready to slap your hand in his most tender zone. 

It seemed he had been expecting such a move, for he shifted sideways, making you hit his thigh instead. He smirked when you growled angrily, hating that he had foreseen it. It was, after all, a move that usually worked on Aron or some of the other guys that sparred with you. 

“It’s not going to be that easy,” he stated, grabbing the next fist you threw at him. You twisted around, but he merely turned your arm in the opposite direction, forcing your arm behind your back. You released a low groan, but didn’t let that stop you. Using the elbow of your still free arm, you tried to hit him in the ribs, succeeding minimally because he turned his body ever so slightly. But, even with such a minimalistic hit, it still hurt him, for he groaned upon impact and loosened the hold he had on you. 

“Easy enough,” you said with a confident smirk. That smirk, however, was quickly wiped off of your face when he moved quicker than you had been anticipating. His fist made you retreat, but you hadn’t foreseen his leg behind your own, tripping you before you were aware of his intentions.

You groaned when your back connected with the mats. He, annoyingly, didn’t waste any time pinning you down, his face ending up inches from yours. 

“Admit defeat,” he stated, that superior smirk back on his lips. You only scowled, not willing to give in this quickly. You strained against his hold, tried to get one of your limbs free so you could fight him off, but your body was too perfectly restrained. All you did manage to do was get breathless and tired. 

“Fine,” you finally growled. “You win.” You were not happy to have lost this match so soon after it had begun. Wufei’s smirk grew, momentarily making you forget to be angry about your loss. It also succeeded in making you forget that he was still on top of you, his body pressed temptingly close to your own. 

“Mind getting off of me?” you questioned when you did realize all of that. It wasn’t lost on you that your voice had a breathless quality to it, something he seemed to notice as well. 

“I’ll collect later,” he told you, his mouth dangerously close to your own. His eyes were alight with amusement, his delight at winning making them shine brighter. “Unless you want to try again?” he questioned without pulling away. 

“And let you coax me into making another bad bet. I’d rather not.”

“You accepted by your own free will.” His smirk grew wider, nearly taunting. “If you hadn’t been so focused on this excellent piece of eye candy, our fight might have lasted longer.” 

You blinked up at him in surprise, disbelief and embarrassment fighting for first place. Your cheeks started heating up, your mouth opened in silent denial, and your heart may have stopped beating due to shock. Wufei, however, seemed to find all of this amusing, that much was obvious. 

When Aron clapped his hands in appreciation, commenting on the nice fight, Wufei rolled off of you and stood up. He did offer you his hand, but you pointedly ignored it, your embarrassment demanding it of you. 

“You can kick some serious ass, man,” Aron stated as he stood up and approach you both. 

“What would you expect from a Preventer,” you muttered while pouting. You were not happy about losing from him, and even less so for being overheard when you had called him an excellent piece of eye candy. “Did you even break a sweat?” you questioned as you finally looked at him, your blush back under control. You tried to forget the last thing he had said to you, tried to block that embarrassing scene from your mind for the time being. 

“I’m a pro at this,” he merely stated, his smirk still present. 

“Still,” you grumbled, once more making your unhappiness known. Aron laughed at your reluctance to accept defeat that easily. 

“Oh come on, [Name]. You fought pretty well.”

“Pretty well didn’t make me win this.”

“Unless you’re going to take on some trained assassins or bodyguards, I doubt you’ll need to improve your fighting skills,” Wufei stated. You wondered if it was a compliment. 

“And if I just want to beat you?” you questioned with a calculating look in your eyes. His smirk became taunting once more. 

“Then you’ll have to keep on training.” 

You rolled your eyes at that. “Great,” you muttered dryly as you moved towards the bench and retrieved your bottle of water.

“So,” Aron began as he watched you with a challenging hint in his eyes. “Does this mean I don’t get my work-out?” he continued playfully. You snorted.

“Ask mister mighty over there,” you shot back as you sat down at the edge of the mats. Aron’s gaze settled upon Wufei, his smile growing at the idea of an unknown opponent. 

“What do you say?” he questioned, his voice betraying his excitement. “Up for another match?”

“Sure,” Wufei agreed with a light shrug. 

“What?” you began in disbelieve, shocked that they were already taking their starting positions. “You’re not even going to make a bet with him?” 

“I have nothing to gain from a bet with him,” Wufei simply stated, his gaze briefly connecting with yours. 

You grumbled something unintelligent, though you quieted down the moment their fight began. You just couldn’t help but watch in utter fascination when those two tried to beat the other. Aron lost in the end, but there was something about their fight that had your complete attention. Your mental image of Wufei was slowly changing as you watched him move, his body under his complete control. There wasn’t a single punch or kick that seemed misplaced, not like you still did. You would almost be inclined to feel jealous about that, almost that is, for you were still too embarrassed by what had happened earlier for any other feeling to take first place.


	14. Chapter 14

When you got back home, you went straight for your computer. Before Wufei was even in the house, you were already busily typing the next scene of your story. Seeing Wufei and Aron’s fight earlier had given you some excellent ideas that needed to be integrated in your book. 

It was nearly an hour later that your fingers hesitated, your last few sentences seemingly taunting you with their presence. You blinked, wondered when you had written something as revealing as that, and then quickly erased them. Your cheeks felt warm again, a blush probably already coloring them red. 

A quick look behind you proved that Wufei was in the kitchen, and judging by the delicious smell, you hoped he was making dinner. You stood up, only to walk towards the nearby window and simply stared at the darkening sky. It was beautiful, but it also reminded you of things you’d rather not think about. When before Jason had always popped up in your mind, it now seemed to be completely occupied by one certain black haired, onyx eyed man. Hell, those last few sentences you had written and then erased were proof enough of that. They had been a bit too revealing for you to deny your feelings any longer. 

You leaned forwards, resting your forehead against the glass, shivering slightly as the cold started seeping into your skin. You stared at the streets, the different in shadow covered buildings, before finally closing your eyes and wrapping your arms around yourself. 

You would be lying if you said you weren’t still affected by Jason’s aggression. Even after all this time, you still feared the thought of a man being that violent and aggressive towards you. And then there was the fact that you were falling in love with Wufei. It wasn’t just purely physical attraction you were feeling anymore. It was deeper than that now, more than just a superficial longing. And after today, after seeing him spar with Aron, you feared him turning out to be just like Jason, even though you knew deep down that he wasn’t like Jason at all. 

A shiver raced down your spine, the feeling of being watched taking possession of you. Slowly opening your eyes, you peered at the glass, hoping to see a reflection of your apartment. It wasn’t entirely surprising to see Wufei’s reflection so close to yours. 

“What are you thinking about?” 

You tried to push your last thoughts away, tried to pretend that everything was fine, that you were simply taking a break from your writing. 

“Just taking a small break.”

“That’s not an answer to my question.” 

You frowned, not happy that he didn’t believe you. Then again, experience should’ve taught you already that he seemed to be able to read you nearly perfectly. How he did it was still unknown, but you weren’t overly fond of that skill of his. You sighed, growled ever so softly, and then just stated, “The world.”

It didn’t seem to be enough though, for he didn’t turn around and let you be. No, instead of doing that, he merely asked another question, letting you know he knew your answer wasn’t as forthcoming as it should’ve been. 

“Is that all?” 

“If I say yes, will you stop bothering me?” 

“It doesn’t do you any good to keep those feelings inside of you.” That made you laugh bitterly. 

“And what do you know about my feelings?” You had truly wanted your voice to pack more heat, to show more of your annoyance about his unwanted company at this precise moment, but it sadly came out as gloomy. 

You focused on the building opposite of your own instead of Wufei’s reflection, not liking how much you longed to turn around and face him, maybe even step closer to him and steal a kiss. It may not be the smartest move on your part if you gave in to that feeling. You still weren’t sure where you stood with him on that part, not to mention that you still worried about him ending up having more in common with Jason than you liked.

“You owe me an honest answer.”

You stiffened, not liking how he said that. You turned towards him, finally deciding that your window wasn’t complying enough in offering you a sight that wouldn’t make you feel on edge. When you met Wufei’s gaze, it once more seemed like he could see straight through you, as if every answer he wanted from you was already known by him. 

“I know,” you stated unhappily. Why again had you agreed to that bet with him? It suddenly seemed so much more obvious that you should’ve been wary of his confidence. But he had been right. You had been distracted by his mere presence, by the thought of sparring with him. 

“Then answer me honestly. What are you thinking about?”

Your mouth thinned, your lips turning downwards to express your unhappiness. For ten long and agonizingly tense seconds, you merely looked at him in contemplation. Then, you sighed, made a vague hand gesture, and finally offered him his honest answer. 

“I was thinking about Jason.” That was honest enough, but it wasn’t a complete answer, so you continued, “and about you.” You looked to the side, avoiding his gaze. 

“And?” he pressed. You scowled, slowly beginning to glare at the ground. Stupid bet!

“And I know you’re not him, but that doesn’t stop me from worrying,” you finally told him, your glare becoming more intense. You once more looked at Wufei, and then just gave up on trying to withhold what you suspected he might already know. “Because I’m falling in love with you, and I’d rather not end up being a punching bag again.”

“I’m not Jason.”

“I told you, I know.” 

It was unnerving to realize you had just confessed to him and he wasn’t even reacting to it. His eyes were darker, but other than that, there was no reaction that led you to believe he felt the same way. Yes, there were the teasing comments, the possible jealous reactions whenever Duo had done or said something too audacious. But did that really mean he was interested in you? 

“Then you should know I will never hurt you like he did.” 

You bit your lower lip, not sure how you should be feeling at this moment. Was it better to be scared and wary, or brave and brusque?

“I do know that,” you muttered, once more looking away. This was slowly becoming awkward, maybe even slightly painful. You stiffened when he took a step closer to you, wrapped his arms around your waist, and pulled you against him. You were tense, his body so close that you felt inclined to lean your head down and rest it against his shoulder, not that you gave in to that urge.

“Then don’t worry about it and simply trust me.”

“I do,” you whispered, your eyes closing while your arms wrapped around him. It was strange how much of a soothing presence he was to your troubled mind. Just like last night, or when you fell asleep against him on the couch, you felt safe. “I trust you,” you repeated as you relaxed against him, finally letting your head rest against him as you wanted to do. 

It didn’t even matter anymore that he didn’t acknowledge what you had confessed only seconds ago. He must care about you in some way, or you doubted he would be holding you this close. 

“[Name],” he began, wanting your attention for whatever he was about to say. You pulled back ever so slightly, looked up at him, and were stunned when he leaned in. 

A delicious shock moved through your body when his lips pressed against your own, awakening a feeling inside of you that you hadn’t felt in a long time. It was a barely there brush of lips at first, before he either became bolder, or you leaned closer and forced his lips more tightly against your own. It didn’t matter who’s decision it was. What did matter was how good it felt, how good he made you feel. 

When he pulled back, his lips leaving yours tingling for more, you sighed and merely stared up at him in shocked bliss. With just one simple kiss, he solidified the fact that he wasn’t like Jason, for Jason had never made you feel this happy. That man had always dominated your lips whenever he had kissed you, his hands greedily moving over your body, nearly demanding that you give him more than what you wanted to offer him. It had never been a wise decision to stay with a man like that. It was, however, a wise decision to stay with a man like Wufei.

“I must admit, I’ve wanted to do that ever since I first saw you.”

It earned you a chuckle, a warm sound that further put you at ease. 

“I know,” he merely responded. You blinked in surprise, a blush coloring your cheeks as you remembered all those times he had teased you, not to mention what he had said earlier when you had lost your sparring session. You just laughed softly and shook your head. 

“Smug bastard.” 

He smirked when you called him that, a sight that once more made him look beyond divine. You didn’t hold back this time, merely leaned upwards and sealed your lips together once more. He didn’t seem to mind it, eagerly responding while one of his hands began to move over your spine, the other wrapping all the tighter around your waist. 

You wanted more of him though, a better taste than this. You took the initiative, opened your mouth slightly, and let your tongue brush against his lower lip, urging him to answer positively. His husky growl made your body heat up, your heart already racing while your mind tried to memorize that sound. When he opened his mouth, allowed you to explore it, you soon earned yourself another throaty growl from him. 

By the time you two pulled apart, you were breathless and more than a little flustered. You pressed your forehead against his skin, hiding your face in the nook of his neck. Every time you took a deep breath, you could smell a crisp fragrance, a woody and musky scent, mixed with a hint of black pepper. It was something you enjoyed with each deep breath you took. 

“I should’ve ordered you to do that a long time ago,” you whispered breathlessly. 

“You can order me to do that anytime you want,” he shot back huskily. You groaned at the thought. 

“Shouldn’t have said that,” you tell him honestly. “I might take you up on that.”

He laughed, the sound further relaxing you. Yes, you now realized all the better, he was completely different from Jason. Where Jason had been manipulative, controlling, and aggressive, Wufei was kind, honest, and protective. And for once in your life, you didn’t mind being taken care off. It seemed Duo had been right all along.


	15. Chapter 15

Dinner had been a slightly silent affair, but it hadn’t been awkward. It was still amazing to taste his cooking, something you were going to miss when you had to do your own cooking again. It had been that thought which had eventually forced you to retreat to your own room late at night. He had allowed your retreat, but had gently admonished you to wake him if you had another bad dream. Thankfully, thought it could also be considered as annoying, but you slept semi-peaceful, your dreams never becoming too terrifying to wake you. 

Now, after yet another amazing breakfast and an even better morning greeting from Wufei – which consisted of a great repeat of last night’s kiss – you were yet again sitting before your computer, typing away to hopefully complete another chapter by the time your deadline came around. 

Five hours passed without you noticing it, five hours of typing whatever thought came to mind and forcing your body to remain in the same position. It was, surprisingly enough, Wufei who finally interrupted your writing, though you ignored him as best as you could as he tried to gain your attention. 

The first time he had called your name, you had ignored him. The second time, you had shushed him. Then, he intervened. You gasped when your chair was turned, your computer remaining on your desk while you ended up no longer staring at your screen, but at a highly amused slave. When you realized what he’d done, you were ready to lecture him on leaving you be while you were writing, but when your eyes met his, your words got stuck in your throat, leaving you gaping like a fish on dry land. 

“You need a break,” he stated with a smirk that you couldn’t help but stare at. 

“Why?” 

“I’m beginning to think you want my hands on you,” he shot back, his own gaze drifting towards the computer screen, reading the words you had last written, which had been a good hour ago. You blushed when his words registered in your brain, the first answer that came to mind a complete acceptance of his accusation. 

Your blush only grew deeper when you realized what it was he was reading. The last scene you had been working on involving quite a bit of sexual tension between the main characters. His eyebrow raised in surprise, his gaze once more meeting your own. You raised your chin in answer, challenging him to dare say anything about it. When he didn’t comment, you smirked in victory. 

“You really shouldn’t have interrupted me. I was in the zone,” you told him, a quick glance at your document accompanying those words. He snorted, obviously disagreeing with you. 

“You haven’t written anything within the last hour.”

You blinked in surprise. Had he been watching you that closely? 

“I was writing it in my head,” you shot back, but you had a suspicion he knew that wasn’t completely true. Yes, you had been lost in your own thoughts, creating a scene that was purely fictional, but sadly enough, it wasn’t anything involving the characters of your latest book. Instead, the main protagonists where you and Wufei …

“For an hour?” 

“Yes.” 

He looked at you thoughtfully, probably trying to decide whether or not to believe you. You watched him closely, assessing if he was close to believing you. You figured that, since he was the one to have put an end to your creative bout of inspiration, he might as well be the one to make a small break worthwhile. 

You stood, only to wince when your body reminded you that, sadly enough, Wufei had been right; you had been sitting still for way too long. You groaned pitifully, shot your ‘slave’ a thoughtful look, and then decided you might as well demand it. 

“Massage,” you simply stated while you pointed at your shoulders. 

He raised an eyebrow, clearly amused with your barely voiced demand. You nodded your head, grabbed his hand, and dragged him towards the couch. You sat down on the edge of it, leaving your shoulders easily accessible for him.

“Come on,” you stated, lifting one hand to point at your shoulder. “Don’t make me tell Duo what a bad slave you’ve been.”

That seemed to help. His hands gently landed on your shoulders, his thumb making small circles that brushed against your neck, making you all the more aware that his skin was warm against your own and slightly calloused. You sighed, trying to relax as he loosened your muscles. You closed your eyes and allowed your mind to drift again. You, however, should’ve foreseen his retaliation, for this man had seemingly never allowed you to claim a victory for long. 

“And how have I been a,” brief pause, “bad slave?” 

“You interrupted my moment,” you easily shot back, still slightly lost in the haze of delight. He was damn good at this. 

“You weren’t writing anything,” he shot back, his voice slightly deeper. 

“I was about to,” you muttered, another sigh passing your lips quickly after. He was working on an especially tense spot. 

“And what would you have written?” 

You blinked your eyes, now fully aware of the deeper, slightly huskier quality to his voice. Not to mention that his hands had stopped moving, simply remaining in place on top of your shoulders. You shivered when he began to move his thumbs only, almost as if he was caressing the skin at the back of your neck. 

“I,” you began, but quickly trailed off again. You weren’t sure how or why, but you had a feeling that your next few words could be very decisive for your future. Instead of uttering them, though, you were surprised and slightly distracted when you heard someone knock on your door. You weren’t sure to be happy or frustrated with the interruption. 

Wufei’s hands pulled back, his warmth immediately missed. You stared at him as he walked towards the door, your gaze intently focused on his back while your mind was definitely taking a detour to the gutter. He briefly disappeared before you heard an all too familiar voice greet him; Duo. 

“You forgot, didn’t you?” Duo questioned when he saw you sitting on the couch with a slightly hazy look in your eyes. 

“Forgot?” you repeated, blinking in confusion. He sighed, making it seem like he was the one who was suffering the most. You rolled your eyes, before taking a glimpse at the clock. One in the afternoon. What was so special about that time? 

“We were supposed to have lunch today,” he reminded you in a more than amused manner. Your gaze shifted back towards him, just in time to see him cast a thoughtful look at his friend. “Though I can’t hold it against you for forgetting. I did give you Wufei in the hopes of distracting you slightly.”

You blinked, not quite sure how you should take that comment. A part of you agreed that he had done a formidable job. Another part, though, began to second-guess everything you had done so far. For a few seconds, you honestly began to think that Wufei was merely playing along to a role Duo had set up, that maybe he didn’t return your feelings like you had assumed last night. 

Your gaze shifted towards the man in question, but he was ignoring both of you in favor of yet another book he had discovered on your shelves. What did he truly think of you? All good intentions aside, you wouldn’t put it past Duo to try something like this in order to help you lose your latest mood swings. But could you really believe that? It didn’t seem like Wufei could be such a man. He seemed to have honor and honestly seemed to care about you and your wellbeing. It was a very confusing time for you, one were you didn’t even know where you stood with him. Were you two in a relationship, or was it just a few harmless kisses that were shared? 

“What are you thinking about?” Duo questioned, his tone hinting he knew exactly WHO you were thinking about. Your blush darkened ever so slightly, your gaze tearing itself away from Wufei. You didn’t want to give away too much to your too sly friend.

“Nothing,” you quickly told him, getting up and moving towards the door to grab your coat and purse. “You mentioned lunch,” you continued when you turned towards him again, ignoring that smug look on his face. “Well?” you stated impatiently. “Are we going or not?” 

“Yes, ma’am,” he laughed with a brief salute your way. You rolled your eyes, opened the door, and left your apartment without waiting to see who was going to follow you. 

“You coming as well?” you heard Duo ask, though you didn’t pay any attention to the answer he received. You were long gone by then, impatiently walking down the flight of stairs. You ended up waiting on the streets outside your building, your eyes looking at everything except the door behind you. 

“You could’ve waited,” Duo scolded gently when he appeared beside you. You sighed, letting him know it was better to be silent for a few more minutes. A quick look behind you proved it was just going to be the two of you. 

You two walked towards the nearby mall. A surprisingly uncrowded lunch garden later and you were both seated at a small table enjoying your chosen meal. 

“So,” Duo began, letting you know the awkward questions were about to begin. You sighed, before taking another bite of your sandwich, stalling anything he wanted to know. “How’s it been going lately?”

“You should know. You’ve been barging into my home for the last three days.”

“Barging you say?” he repeated, playing shocked. “I never barged in. I did, however, get thrown out twice.” That made you laugh, the memory of Wufei bodily removing Duo too funny not to. “I thought I was your friend,” Duo continued in a fake hurt tone. You shook your head. 

“You are, but sometimes you overstep that thin line of tolerable, my friend,” you added with narrowed eyes, knowing he would realize exactly what you were talking about. 

“In my defense, I did it all for you,” he countered. You snorted, your eyes telling him how believable those words were. “I did. It helped bring out his protective side, didn’t it?” 

“And what would you have done if he hadn’t reacted?”

“Reached second base with a good friend,” he answered, but it was clear he wasn’t serious. You sighed again, shaking your head softly. 

“What did I do to deserve this?” you questioned with a pout on your lips. His hand gently landed on your arm, making you look up at him in confusion. He seemed serious all of the sudden, as if he wanted you to know that his next words were important. 

“[Name],” he began softly. “I could see Jason’s actions were slowly destroying you. I wanted to help, just like Aron and the others wanted to help, but we all knew you wouldn’t let us. You’re quite stubborn when you want to be,” he lightly teased you. It earned him a soft smile and a wry snort, but you knew he was right about that. 

“I honestly believed Wufei could help you with that, so when I saw an opening, I made that bet with him. Tell me I didn’t do the wrong thing,” he pleaded before waiting for your response. It seemed you had to give the man more credit. He had definitely picked up on your slightly anxious state earlier. 

“He did help me, Duo. So, no, you didn’t do the wrong thing.” He smiled, but you saw the relieve in his eyes. “But I swear, if you ever pull a stunt like that again, I will make sure you’ll never walk normal again,” you threatened, not eager to be pushed into a situation like this again. He quickly nodded his head, knowing that you would go through with that, even if you both realized he was still the better fighter. 

“So about our shopping trip last week,” Duo continued in a lighter tone, letting you know the serious conversation was officially over. 

“What about it?” you questioned, honestly interested in what he would say next. 

“Those leather pants better not be going to waste in your closet,” he warned teasingly. Just the mere thought of those pants you had bought made you flush, the memory of Wufei’s heated gaze on your body still too real to do anything but leave you flustered. 

“How about we go clubbing tonight, but you have to wear those pants.”

That very offer would be your undoing. You just knew it would be …


	16. Chapter 16

You were still blushing by the time you three reached the club. Yet again you had ordered Wufei to be your driver. You were sure you were going to drink tonight, the leather pants making you all the more aware of how uncomfortable you were, and when you got uncomfortable, you had a tendency to drink some liquid courage. 

You quickly located a slightly distant and empty booth at the back of the club while Duo went to the bar to order the drinks. When you sat down, Wufei doing the same, you shot a brief look at him. It was obvious that he was slightly irritated. He truly didn’t seem a fan for crowded places. Then again, he could be irritated because you and Duo had dragged him away from what he called was a surprisingly interesting book. 

You quickly drank half the beer Duo had placed in front of you, making him chuckle. Wufei, however, didn’t seem amused by it. At least, you thought he wasn’t, for he was giving you a slightly scolding look. Your mind presented you with the memory of him doing the same mere days ago. You blushed, quickly looked away, and tried to focus on other things. 

“I’m honestly amazed with my own cunningness,” Duo shouted by your side, the music nearly drowning out his voice. You blinked in confusion, your eyes meeting his amused ones. His head mentioned towards Wufei, but you didn’t dare look in that direction again. “The mere idea of him going clubbing is non-existing, and yet, you’ve managed to make him come twice already.”

“A good slave listens,” you merely told Duo. You were aware of it when Wufei stiffened, a sign he had managed to hear what you two were talking about. 

“How about a dance?” you questioned Duo after looking at Wufei. You weren’t sure he was willing to dance. Besides, you already had enough frustrations concerning this man. If you danced with him again, and if it was as good as last time, you weren’t sure you’d manage to control yourself. After a few songs, though, Duo commented, “I think it’s safer if you ask him for the next dance.” 

Ever since you left the booth, though, you could feel a gaze on you, and it seemed you weren’t the only one who noticed. Duo’s lips formed a sly smile, informing you that he knew exactly what was going on. You rolled your eyes, your gaze moving back towards the direction you had come from, and encountered a slightly dark scowl on Wufei’s face. You had to laugh at that. 

“He’s not the dancing type.”

“Yet you’ve managed to get him on the dance floor once before.”

“That was different.”

“I agree,” Duo surprisingly stated. Your gaze once more met his amused eyes. “You weren’t wearing these fabulous pants then.”

“Are you suggesting I make him jealous?” you questioned with a laugh. 

“No. I’m suggesting you make it impossible for him to deny you.”

He turned you towards the booth Wufei was sitting at, whispered ‘go get him’ in your ear, and pushed you in the right direction. You stumbled a bit, glared at him over your shoulder, and rolled your eyes as you actually thought about following his advice. You knew Duo wouldn’t mind it, seeing as his mystery girl just passed you on her way to get to him. Sometimes men were so predictable …

“Done already?” Wufei questioned when you seated yourself next to him. You shook your head. 

“No, but Duo suggested a change in partners,” you told him with a brief flick of your wrist towards the now dancing pair. Wufei’s gaze flickered towards you, the sheer intensity in them making you freeze for a brief second. “The question is,” you began, your hand landing on his arm. His gaze briefly focused on your hand as you allowed your fingertips to move ever so slightly. “Are you going to accept this time?”

There was a brief tilt of his lips, a barely there smirk, but then it disappeared again. He stood without a single word spoken, his hand grabbing your own, before pulling you towards the dance floor. You laughed, the anticipation high. He hadn’t actually danced a lot last time, Duo’s warning having interrupted you before you could enjoy it to its fullest. Now, though, you had every intention to enjoy this!

You shot Wufei a dangerous smirk, one you knew had an effect on him, and you weren’t disappointed. His hands settled on your hips, pulling you flush against him. You lost yourself as you both danced, his body tantalizingly close, and yet, not close enough. You knew you were surrounded by strangers, something that usually made you slightly hesitant, but tonight, you weren’t paying much attention to anything except your dance partner. 

It was late when you both finally stopped dancing, even later when you managed to get home. You were tired, and yet, you felt as if every nerve in your body was buzzing in glee. Even now you could still feel where Wufei’s hands had been during the surprisingly many dances, your skin seemingly able to hold on to his warmth. 

Wufei moved towards the kitchen as you closed the door. He was just drinking a glass of water when you passed, your eyes zooming in on his throat as it moved with each sip. From there, your gaze moved further down, finding it slightly sad that it wasn’t in the middle of a very early morning … just like the last time …

The mere sight of him dressed in just his boxers was still burned in your mind, and now that you had finally admitted to yourself that you loved him, it was surely even tougher to not do something the next time you saw him like that. 

“Anything you want?” 

You blinked in surprise, not having realized you had been daydreaming in front of him, your gaze all too revealingly focused on him. He looked smug again, as if he knew exactly what you had been thinking. Your cheeks heated, a telltale sign of a blush forming, but you didn’t look away from him, not ready to allow him this victory. 

“No,” you merely shot back; a clear lie, and he knew it, too. His eyes flashed lightly, though what kind of emotion shot through them was hard to see in the barely there light of the hallway. Maybe if he had turned on the lights in the kitchen …

He strolled towards you, his body seemingly calm and steady, but it felt suspiciously like he was stalking you. You held your place, never looking away from him, something that amused him greatly. When he reached you, his hand lifting only to brush a lock of hair behind your ear, you couldn’t help but shiver as his fingers barely touched your skin, the sensation impossible to suppress. His smug smirk only got wider. You scowled in reaction to it. 

“You sure?” he questioned, his voice low and husky. 

Damn. It was amazing to hear, and it had a bad effect on your libido. Your frustrations were already high as it was, you hadn’t needed to hear him sound so alluring. You began to bite your lower lip as you tried to restrain yourself, an action that managed to draw his gaze towards your lip. He leaned closer, his mouth now inches from your own. 

You nodded your head slightly, no sure if you could trust your voice. His lips pulled further upwards, his smirk making him look divine. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep control over your reactions. 

“I’ll ask again,” he began, his voice still holding that husky quality that made you want to hear it more often, “Anything you want?”

The hell with it! 

“You,” you finally spoke up. You reached out, grabbed his shirt, and held him in place as you leaned slightly upwards and placed your lips on top of his own. He was smirking, you could feel it. You had given in to him, had willingly declared him the victor, but you forgot all about that when he pushed you backwards, your back all too soon resting against the wall. 

You moaned into the kiss. One of his hands landed on your hip. It felt so much like you were going to drown in your emotions, burst from sheer desire if it were possible. His lips felt so good, demanding but not aggressive. He truly was a much different man than Jason. 

“I want YOU,” you gasped out when he pulled back, his lips skimming over your cheek and jaw, towards your neck. The hand on your hip moved slightly higher, his fingertips briefly touching bare skin before the fabric of your shirt intervened. 

“And yet you didn’t find me all that pleasing when we first met,” he told you, his mouth brushing against your ear for the briefest of moments. 

“Denial,” you stated softly, your head turning ever so slightly to catch his lips again with your own. 

“And now?” 

“Attraction,” you muttered as you allowed your hands to move over his shoulders towards his neck, one even disappearing into his hair. The sensation made him shiver, though it only brought forth a smirk on your side. He kissed you hard again, his own frustration seemingly seeping through as he nearly bruised your lips. 

He finally pushed the fabric of your shirt aside, his fingers moving upwards, over your side, your ribs. Your breath hitched ever so slightly when he cupped your still clothed breast. Then he pulled back, lifted your shirt, and once more kissed you quite a lot of passion. You moaned, your own hands restlessly moving up and down his body. His hands moved lower, pressing against your lower back to bring you closer against him. You gasped when you felt his desire for you. 

“Bedroom,” you growled. He lifted you, your legs automatically going around his waist, your hands around his neck, even while your lips were still battling with his own. His shirt disappeared somewhere between the kitchen and your bedroom. 

The mattress was soft and cold against your feverish skin, but it didn’t get much attention, because the moment you were lying down, Wufei’s lips trailed a path over your neck, your collarbone, …

It felt heavenly, so much like everything you had been desiring for the last few days. Every fantasy was being fulfilled. You were sure you were doing your best to become his second skin, to somehow make him feel as good as he was making you feel. And by the throaty groans you managed to drag out of him, you’d say you were succeeding. 

When you felt his skin slide against yours, his naked body atop your own, it made the fire inside of you burn even higher . You gasped, groaned, moaned, damn near pleaded, and finally, you even screamed in satisfaction. Your skin tingled, your every nerve sighing in bliss, and your muscles finally relaxed again. 

His body rested on top of your own, his head pressed against your collarbone, his breaths cooling your damp skin. You felt happy, sated, drunk almost, even though you hadn’t touched that much alcohol. Your right hand moved up and down his back, before coming to rest between his shoulder blades. 

His lifted his head, repositioned himself so he was lying next to you instead, and caught your lips in a slow kiss. You sighed against him, turning your body so you were facing him. 

“More than pleasing,” you muttered when he pulled back, rolling onto his back. You followed, literally became his blanket as best as you could, your head coming to rest on his chest, his heartbeat beneath your ear. 

“Off course I am,” came his soft reply, his hand slowly moving up and down your arm. You chuckled, lightly hitting him on the chest. 

“Cocky bastard,” you scolded him lightly, even though your voice was too serene to sound anything but pleased.

It wasn’t long after that that his breaths evened out, his arm now resting on your side in a loose hug. You chanced a look at his face, a soft smile coming to your lips when you saw the relaxed and seemingly content tilt to his lips. You snuggled closer as you let your thoughts wander while you waited for sleep to claim you.


	17. Chapter 17

You nuzzled deeper into your pillow with a sleepy sigh. You had been having great dreams and you were unwilling to wake from them just yet. A faint shiver racked your body, the slightly cold air against your shoulder making you frown. The blanket was gathered low on your hips, the very reason you were cold. One eye opened, gazing at the other side of the bed, only to come across empty space. A brief touch told you Wufei hadn’t been gone for long; the sheets still carried some of his warmth. A fond smile lifted your lips as you thought back to last night. It had been amazing, something you would treasure until the end of days. 

Another shiver racked your body, but this one wasn’t from the cold. You were being watched. You slowly lifted your head, only to blush when you met a pair of intense onyx ones. He was definitely staring, his eyes moving up and down your body at a slow pace while he casually leaned against the doorframe, dressed in nothing but his boxers. You let your own eyes feast on the sight before you, taking him in like the dark had kept you from doing last night. Well, maybe it was a combination of the dark and your slightly preoccupied mind …

You met his gaze again, your blush still warming your cheeks, and offered him a slightly shy smile. You were all too aware of your naked body, and even though it wasn’t a sight he seemed to object to, it was not as easy to be as unconcerned about your state of undress as you had been last night. A frown began to show as you held on to your pillow while sitting up, keeping most of yourself from his direct sight. 

He pushed away from the frame, calmly moving closer to the bed. He sat down next to you, his body facing yours, and seemed to be waiting for something you didn’t understand. You reached out towards him, your fingertips gliding over his arm and shoulder, towards his neck, before you pulled him closer for the first lazy kiss of the day. His response was immediate, his lips seemingly trying to conquer yours, changing it from lazy to passionate. 

You sighed into the kiss, shivering when his fingertips brushed against your hip. Without breaking the kiss, he pushed the pillow out of the way, and pulled you slightly closer against him. You opened your mouth upon his request, still moving closer towards him, before straddling him as you sat on his lap. Your arms wrapped around his shoulders, his own wrapping around your waist. Your breasts brushed against his chest with each breath you took, a sensation that was very pleasurable. 

“What?” you questioned slightly breathless when he stopped and didn’t make any other move. He offered you a soft, pleased smile. His hand gently touched your cheek, and you nuzzled his hand in response. His lips briefly found your own again; the soft, affectionate kiss making your heart squeeze in fondness. 

“Don’t be ashamed of what happened,” he merely stated when he pulled back. You blinked, raised an eyebrow in surprise, and shook your head when you understood he had misinterpreted your shyness. 

“I’m not,” you told him, your gaze conveying the truth of that statement. “I’m just,” you continued when he seemed to be waiting for more than just that denial. You took a deep breath, before huffing. You didn’t like having to explain this to him. “I’m not used to people looking at me like that.”

“Like that?” he repeated, slightly amused when he saw you were pouting. You made a vague hand gesture as you searched for the right words. 

“Like they want to eat me,” you muttered, earning yourself a throaty chuckle. 

“That wasn’t what I had in mind,” he told you when you shot him a dry look. Your lips turned upwards, smiling seductively while your eyes narrowed slightly in thought. 

“Then what did you have in mind?” 

Your breath hitched when his left hand moved over your back, his eyes briefly looking down before they once more met your own. 

“That you deserve to be worshipped,” he huskily told you. You leaned impossibly closer to him when one of his other hand moved over your hip and outer thigh. 

“Worshipped?” you repeated, liking how that sounded. 

“Like the Goddess that you are,” he told you before kissing you. You hummed in pleasure, your body once more pressed fully against him, wanting every inch of your skin to feel his. It felt good to have his hands on you so early in the morning, good to know he still desired you, that it wouldn’t be a one-time deal. 

At least, it did, until a phone started ringing. The sound was distant, the ringtone unfamiliar to you. Wufei, however, seemed to recognize it. He pulled back from the kiss, a soft frown already showing, accentuated by a regrettable glint that was shining in his eyes. 

“I have to take that,” he stated apologetically, already pushing you off of his lap. You moved without too much encouragement, your thoughts jumbled as you tried to understand what was happening. When he was out of the room, you stood up, gathered some clean clothes and underwear, and swiftly disappeared into the bathroom. You had a feeling you weren’t going to be allowed to continue what had been interrupted. 

When you emerged, you were proven right. Wufei was fully dressed and just ending the phone call, his eyes narrowed slightly and his lips fading into a thin line. He was unhappy about something, and you were sure you would be, too. 

“I have to go.”

You froze when you heard those words, your mind instantly protesting while you simply stared at him in confusion. He began packing his bag, his movements brusque but efficient. He was not happy at all. 

“When will you be back?” you finally managed to voice. You hadn’t moved yet, hadn’t done anything but watch him silently. He briefly stopped, his gaze briefly meeting your own. 

“I don’t know.”

Those words made you feel cold inside. He didn’t seem to notice your lack of reaction, once more busily packing his bag. You weren’t sure why you were reacting the way you did, but you feared him not returning at all. It was stupid, illogical even, for he was Duo’s friend, and he was bound by his honor to come back to finish the bet he had lost …. 

But when was something as complicated as love ever logical? 

“Is it bad?” you questioned next, even though you didn’t really want to know if what he was called for was dangerous or not. This time, though, he didn’t stop packing. 

“No.” Would he even tell you if it was? “I’m supposed to guard someone.”

“So you can’t come back here at all.” 

It wasn’t meant to be a question, or for him to overhear those mumbled words, but it did and he had overheard. He looked at you again, but you weren’t watching him anymore. Instead, your own gaze had drifted to the window to your right. The sun shone bright in the sky, a complete contrast to how you were feeling inside right now. 

An arm gently wrapped around you, brining your attention back to the man that now stood in front of you. He looked slightly worried, the frown on his face not something you wanted to remember him by. You leaned forward, briefly letting your lips slide over his, hoping it would bring back the look he had shown you only minutes before. 

“I will come back,” he told you in a slightly deeper voice. You nodded your head, but you couldn’t deny the small amount of doubt that lingered in your mind. You briefly felt torn, unsure if he wanted to return for you, or because his honor wouldn’t let him skip out on the debt he owed Duo due to the bet. Even after all this time, after everything Wufei had done for you, it was still so hard not to expect him to behave like Jason would’ve done. 

“I know,” you answered him, wrapping your own arms around him, holding him close to you for as long as you still could, your head resting against his shoulder, trying to burn this moment into your mind. 

His phone rang again, breaking a moment you had wanted to have been frozen in time. Wufei pulled back, answered his phone, and finished packing his bag. You watched him with sad eyes. He hung up the phone, grabbed his bag, and briefly lingered at your side. After finally having confessed to him, after having spent the night with him, he was leaving you …

“I have to go,” he stated softly, a tone in his voice that spoke of his unwillingness to leave just yet. 

“I know.” It seemed that was all you could say lately. “Stay safe,” you added before placing a last lingering kiss on his lips. With a last gentle brush of his hand, he tucked a stubborn lock of hair behind your ear. 

“I’ll be back,” he stated once more. You simply nodded your head, not quite trusting your voice to keep from breaking. You watched him as he disappeared from your life. No matter how brief his departure would be, it was too long in your opinion. Perhaps you should visit Aron later today, work some of this sadness off during a good sparring session. 

For now, though, you simply closed the door to a now empty hallway, grabbed an apple, and seated yourself behind your computer. There were still a few chapters of your latest book to finish. Hopefully it would help keep your mind too busy to realize your apartment was suddenly too quiet somehow.


	18. Chapter 18

You were angry. 

A whole week had passed. Seven whole days, and not a single word from your previous slave turned lover. You were worried for the first four days, then you were angry, then sad, then worried again, and now anger was once more visiting you. You didn’t understand what was going on, but you were getting fed up with waiting for news. 

The only good thing about the week was that you had finally finished your manuscript. You seriously couldn’t believe you actually managed to make your deadline, something that had never happened before. Then again, you had never felt so emotional that you just needed to write it all down, hence creating a story that was slightly darker tinted than your usual ones. 

Now you had nothing to do but stare at your walls, wallowing in the stillness that had turned your briefly lively apartment into a hole you’d rather not stay in. Today, however, was a good day. You had a meeting planned with your editor to deliver her your now finished manuscript. 

Alyne was smiling at you when you walked into her office, quickly standing and greeting you. When she pulled back though, her smile slipped away and a curious if not concerned glint entered her eyes. You knew you looked like hell, the last week not having done you any good. You barely ate enough and you kept tossing at night because of reoccurring nightmares. All of that because you were worrying about a man that obviously didn’t care as much about you as you had once believed. 

Alyne, the good woman that she was, didn’t ask what was bothering you. She knew you didn’t like to talk about your private life, not even to her. She knew Jason had beaten you because you hadn’t been able to hide the evidence, but other than that, she didn’t know much about your personal life. You, for one, liked to keep it that way. After all, the faster you could forget the last two weeks, the faster you could go on with your life. 

“Maybe this will cheer you up,” Alyne suddenly stated, grabbing something from a nearby drawer.

“A letter?” you questioned skeptically as you eyed the manila envelope in her hands. “Don’t tell me I got another crazy fan that wants to marry me.” It wouldn’t be the first time you got that kind of fan mail. 

“Just open it,” she merely shot back, rolling her eyes at your lack of enthusiasm. You sighed but did as told. 

“A celebration?” 

“Not just any celebration,” Alyne stated, shocked by your lack of interest. “It’s the most famous one in the country. Everybody who’s anybody will be there.”

“Good. Then I don’t have to go,” you stated, tossing the card and envelope on her desk. 

“But you have to go!”

“Why?”

“This invitation came from the prime minister herself.”

“So?” You were far from impressed. 

“You’re one of her honored guests.” 

You had seen that printed on the card, but you didn’t want to believe it. There was always a catch to these things, especially so if they came from Alyne. 

“I repeat; so?”

“[Name]!” Alyne scolded you slightly even though her lips were forming a smile and her shoulders were relaxed. You narrowed your eyes, knowing she had something up her sleeve. “Wouldn’t it be the exact opportunity to steer your thoughts away from what’s currently bothering you?”

“One, no. And two, what do you know about my current problems?”

She sighed, the sound conveying her regret. 

“Not much, seeing as you won’t tell me anything. But, [Name] … Just think about it.”

“Why should I? You know I don’t like these gatherings. I like being anonymous. This,” you stated as you waved the envelope in the air, “isn’t laying low. This is jumping up and down in a pink dress while shouting that you’re the queen of the world.”

“No, it isn’t.” She seemed strangely confident about that. “It’s just a blank invitation. No one will know who you are.”

“There will be questions.”

“I’m sure you can avoid those.”

“Still,” you sighed out, softly shaking your head in denial, hating the fact that you were actually considering going. Alyne, knowing she had you nearly convinced, pushed on in her explanation. 

“It’s a personal request from the prime minister, [Name]. Mike gave it to me asking if I would convince you to come.” 

Mike, Alyne’s husband, was probably the only other person in this world who knew who you were and what you did for a living. He was also one of the higher ups in the political game, something Alyne didn’t mind boasting about. You sighed again, raising your hand and rubbing at your temples. You could feel a headache forming. 

“Why would she want to meet me?”

“Because she’s a major fan of your works and she wanted to meet you. You don’t have to tell anyone there who you are, and you can rest assured that she won’t tell anyone else who you really are.”

“Fine, I’ll think about it,” you stated as you stuffed the envelope in your pocket. 

“Yes!” Alyne shouted, completely forgetting that you hadn’t actually agreed yet to going. You weren’t going to point it out to her though. While she was celebrating a too early victory, you quietly slipped out and made your way home again. 

Your mood didn’t improve for the rest of the day, something you began hating all the more. Even without him in your daily life, the man still proved to be more trouble than you wanted to deal with at that moment. So you did what any sane girl would do; you called Duo and blackmailed him into going clubbing, not that he needed much convincing. All you had to point out was the name of his recent crush and you got what you wanted. Though Duo knew all too well that you had been sulking the past few days since Wufei’s return to his job, he hadn’t pushed you too hard for any details. Tonight, though, that changed. 

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” he questioned not long after you entered one of the local clubs. You rolled your eyes at his obvious and unneeded worry. 

“I’m perfectly fine.”

“You don’t look fine,” he muttered. You just caught it over the loud music. 

“I’m fine,” you repeated with more force. You even shot him an annoyed look, one he didn’t appreciate receiving. 

“You’re agitated.”

“I’m always agitated.”

For a few blessed seconds nothing was said, only the loud beat of the music echoed through the room. And then he had to open his mouth and ask the one question you didn’t want to hear right now.

“Are you sure nothing happened between you two?”

“Yes!” you shouted while smashing your palms down on the table you were seated at. Duo stared at you, slightly puzzled at your outburst. You didn’t usually react like this, not unless you had encountered Jason. You knew the wheels in his head were turning, knew he was close to asking all the wrong questions, so you did the only thing you could think off. 

“Look, Duo. Shouldn’t you go greet her?” 

Even though he clearly let you know he knew what you were doing, he let it slide. He merely stood up and went to greet his current obsession. You breathed a sigh of relief when he left your side. It wasn’t normal for you to act so malicious towards him, but you couldn’t help yourself. 

While Duo spend most of his time on the dance floor, you wisely spend it at the bar. A few drinks later, you already knew this night was a complete waste of your time. All you longed for was your previous slave to be at your side, keeping you company. You wanted those eyes to linger on you, knowing he would’ve liked what you had chosen to wear tonight. 

When you finally entered your apartment again, you were beyond annoyed at yourself. Wufei may have claimed not to be Jason, but he sure seemed as uninterested in letting you know about his whereabouts as your old lover had once done.

“Why don’t you call him?” Duo suddenly supplied. You stiffened. Even though you knew he had followed you up and that he had every intention of finding out what exactly was wrong with you, his words still caught you by surprise. Maybe he knew all too well after all …

“What?” 

It was a far cry from normal to be so caught off guard by him. 

“Call him,” he repeated. “I can give you the number.”

Your pride wouldn’t allow you to accept that offer. 

“No.” Just like before at the club, your voice was stern and unyielding. It confused him why you would deny his offer, but he didn’t ask. Instead, he merely sighed, shook his head at what he must think was stupidity, and focused on finding answers to his previous and still unanswered question. 

“What happened for you to be this angry at him?”

“Nothing,” you muttered, your gaze finally leaving his. 

“You keep saying that, but you’re not really convincing anyone.”

A glare was what he earned with that effort. 

“Maybe it’s better for everyone that he finishes his bet with you,” you sighed out when Duo remained silent. 

“Why?”

“Because I’m thinking about going to the lake house and I don’t want to be bothered there.”

“I thought everything was going great. Didn’t you tell me he was helping you,” Duo pointed out. 

“Maybe I’m sick and tired of people trying to help me. I just want some peace and quiet away from it all.”

“Are you sure you’re not trying to run?” The very fact that he dared ask that of you was enough to make your anger rise again. You narrowed your eyes and your mouth formed a thin line. 

“And you know everything about that, don’t you?”

He stiffened, unconsciously letting you know that your words had hit their mark. 

“More than I want to know,” he stated softly, the pain in his voice not unnoticed by you. You instantly felt bad about what you had said. 

“Sorry,” you muttered, though the apology would not be enough to take away the sting of your words. He shrugged; an effort to hide his pain. 

“You’re tired. I should let you get some rest.” Duo turned, ready to leave you alone again, when he stopped only inches from the door. He was gazing at the manila envelope you had deposited there, the invitation lying on top of it. “Are you going?” 

“I’m not sure yet.”

“Maybe you should,” a soft chuckle, almost as if he knew something you didn’t, “It might prove interesting.” With that said, he left you alone to your silent musing and guilty conscious.


	19. Chapter 19

By now you were getting used to the fact that your nights were anything but restful, though you still hoped that a change in scenery would do you some good. Perhaps your planned break at the lake house would offer you some nightmare-free nights. Before you could go there, however, you had one more thing to do. 

You had finally caved to Alyne’s constant urging and had agreed to go to the celebration, something she seemed more than pleased about. After some last minute shopping, you were now the proud owner of a strapless light blue dress that reached the floor. Everything was perfect by the time you left for said party, off course already fashionably late, but that was to be expected. Once there, it was Alyne who was waiting for you at the front. You didn’t mind it, because it usually meant that people would be less inclined to ask you about your reasons for being at this celebration. 

“I’m sure you’ll find someone to your liking here,” Alyne commented slyly when she caught you looking at a surprisingly handsome man to your right. You snorted, your mind all too quickly pointing out that you already found someone to your liking. 

“I doubt it.”

“I don’t see why not. Have you noticed how hot some of these men are?” she questioned with a big smile. 

“Have you noticed how married you are?” you shot back, making her laugh wholeheartedly. 

“I just wish you would settle down. You know, be happy, start a family of your own maybe?” she prodded.

“Just like you’ve done?” you shot back with a pointed smile.

“Okay, maybe Mike and me haven’t gotten around to the family part yet, but at least we’ve settled down.” She sighed deeply. “I just want you to be happy, [Name].”

“I am.”

“Are you truly?” she shot back, a knowing tone hidden in her voice. “I was going to wait, but … I read the manuscript.”

“And?”

“It’s so much darker than your other stories. It makes me wonder what happened. I know how your writing changed after what happened with Jason. I just want to make sure no one else is hurting you like he did,” she softly added in a too perceptive voice. 

You sighed, finally looking away from her concerned gaze. “I’m truly okay, Alyne.”

“If you say so, sweetie,” she stated softly, finally letting go of the subject. “Now how about meeting your number one fan?”

That made you laugh. “Aren’t they all claiming to be my number one fan?”

“True,” she agreed easily as she guided you towards another grand ballroom. “She was here a few minutes ago,” she mumbled as she searched the ballroom. “Ah, there she is!”

“Miss Peacecraft,” Alyne called out as she dragged you closer to the aforementioned woman. 

“Miss Myers,” Relena replied kindly. Then her eyes moved towards you, a spark of enthusiasm appearing in them. “And can I assume that this is my special guest?”

You smiled wryly, barely nodding your head. “Unless you have another special guest that I don’t know about, then yes, I am she,” you answered politely, extending your hand in greeting. She accepted it with a polite smile. 

“Thank you for coming. I’ve wanted to meet you for quite some time already.

“You could’ve just asked our mutual friend.”

“And who would that be?” she questioned, honestly puzzled with who you meant.

“Maybe a friend of a friend would be more fitting,” you lightly laughed, “but I know Duo, who in turn knows Heero, and if I’m not mistaken, that would be your current boyfriend?” you questioned, though you were convinced you had only spoken the truth. Relena blushed in response. 

“I didn’t know you knew them.”

“Technically speaking I only know Duo, though I met Heero once, but that’s been quite a while ago.”

“Really? Then maybe we should get together sometime, just the four of us.”

You smiled softly. “Sure.” 

Heero appeared at that moment, his hand subtly moving towards Relena’s lower back as he stood next to her. It was such a sweet gesture that your smile grew wider. Sadly, though, something else drew your attention away from the happy couple. Behind them, at the other end of the ballroom, stood the one person you hadn’t expected to see here …

Wufei.

Your heart clenched painfully, your eyes growing impossibly wider as a disbelieving gasp passed your lips. His back was towards you, the woman before him mostly hidden from sight by his body. You could see, though, that she had blonde hair and wore a dark red form-fitting dress. You couldn’t see clearly, couldn’t know for sure, and yet, you knew in your heart what you were looking at; he was kissing her. 

…

You hadn’t wanted to be right in your fears, hadn’t wanted him to be like Jason after all, and yet, you couldn’t deny what you were seeing, couldn’t deny that he was betraying you as well, though not in the way you had so often feared. 

“[Name]?”Alyne questioned, obviously concerned by your sudden change in attention. “Are you all right, sweetie? You look kind of pale all of the sudden.”

“I’m fine,” you told her in a strained voice, a complete lie though. “I just,” you trailed off, feeling yet another painful tugging sensation pulling at your heart. Had he not cared for you after all? Had you just been something to pass the time? You felt cornered, felt as if you were suffocating. Your heart ached, breaking from the strain put on it. “I’ve got to leave,” you stated just as Wufei stepped aside. His gaze moved over the people gathered, before they widened when they encountered your own. “I’ve got to go,” you repeated weakly, your body already turning away from them. 

“[Name]?” Alyne called out worriedly, but you ignored her, walking away from them all at a brisk pace. You knew you were making her worry about you, knew she would call later, but for now, you didn’t care about any of that. All you cared about was getting the hell out of there and somehow try to get away from the pain that consumed you. You were in such a hurry you didn’t even bother to retrieve your coat. You merely exited the building, hailed a cab, and left it all behind you. 

When you got home, you realized your day was going from bad to hellish. You glowered at the man that stood in your apartment as if he had every right to be there. His smirk, his posture; everything about him screamed that he was still the same arrogant bastard you knew him to be. If only you had noticed him sooner, then you wouldn’t be standing in the middle of the room glowering at your ex and wishing with all your might that he wasn’t as arrogant to think you were still the same weak girl from before.

“I want to talk to you,” Jason began, his gaze moving down your body, admiring the dress you wore. You growled, feeling uncomfortable enough to cross your arms and hide what little he could see. 

“We have nothing to talk about, asshole. Now get out of my home!”

He frowned, obviously not liking your language; not that you cared. He ignored what you said though, simply standing before you with that frown on his face. 

“How about we stop pretending.”

“What?!” What was this man talking about? You weren’t sure how long he had been here, waiting for you to come home, but you noticed that it was long enough for him to have emptied four beer bottles. It made you wary; a drunken Jason was an unpredictable one. 

“You still love me, [Name].” You snorted. Only he would be stupid enough to think that. “I admit using that man to make me jealous was very effective.”

“Making you,” you trailed off angrily. “You shithead!” you screamed. Only he would be so stupid and egotistical enough to think that. “He is ten times the man you are,” you stated before trailing off, suddenly doubting your own words. After tonight, you weren’t so sure about that anymore. They had both betrayed you now; Jason by beating you, and Wufei by kissing that woman. 

Jason moved while you weren’t paying him any attention. You blinked at him in shock, your cheek stinging from the impact of his hand, your lip probably bleeding a little where your teeth had grazed it. 

“I highly doubt that. You forget how good I was to you,” he growled. 

Your shock, though, quickly turned into anger. You wouldn’t let him do this to you again! Your chin tilted upwards, your defiance easily visible. “Good? You’ve beaten me, used me either as a shield or a punching bag. Wufei would never do that to me.”

Jason didn’t like hearing that. He raised his hand again, but this time, you were ready for it. You raised your own hand, your fist colliding with his jaw before he could strike you. He had to take a step backwards, not having foreseen your retaliation. His hand pressed against his jaw in disbelief, his eyes narrowing in anger. He shot forwards with such a surprising speed for a drunk, his rage making him unpredictable. 

Your back hit the wall at the same time that his hand finally managed to get a good grip on your throat. It hurt, the flesh bruising beneath his touch, but you wouldn’t let it stop you. He, however, obviously thought you were subdued now, because he leaned in and sealed your lips with his own. 

Your eyes widened with fury. You managed to react then, planting your fist in his ribcage at the same time as you stomped on his foot. Jason pulled back, a painful snarl leaving him. His hold on you loosened as he tried to fight the pain. You didn’t care about stopping just yet though. You moved forward, landing a swift kick against his leg before smashing your fist into his jaw again. You kept hitting him, one hit after the other, your rage controlling your every move. Only when he finally stopped making a sound, did you finally pull back. 

You let your back rest against the wall, your knees giving out from under you as you sunk to the floor. Jason still didn’t move. He didn’t do anything except make some kind of pitiful sound every few seconds. Eventually, though it could’ve been either seconds or minutes, you managed to get up and call the police. 

By the time the sun rose again, everything was cleared. The marks on your body that were quickly coloring as well as your restraining order against Jason were proof enough for the police to believe your story. You sighed when they were finally gone, Jason already having been taken to the hospital for treatment. You felt broken, tired, completely drained actually, but you didn’t go to bed. Instead, you packed what little you would need before calling Alyne and offering her some lie about why you didn’t want to be contacted while staying at the lake house for the coming thirty days. For Duo you merely left a message that you would be gone for a while. You knew he would realize where you were going, but you didn’t care. He knew you sometimes needed some time alone to deal with certain things. 

Those two things done, you simply grabbed your bag and left the apartment that held too many bad memories. You just hoped people would leave you alone for a long while. You wanted to be as far away from all of this for as long as you could manage.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update time!!!!! Haha, I'm so incredibly busy right now, and yet, I somehow found myself inspired to write. I know there's a short time gap between this chapter and the last, but I hope that can be forgiven for the time being ;)

You blinked your eyes in surprise, not believing what they were showing you. You knew for a fact that it couldn’t be true, knew he would never … And yet he was here, five days after you had come to your lake house, he was standing before you. No matter how many times you blinked your eyes, his image never faded or shimmered. 

For a moment, you thought about closing the door in his face, thought of simply leaving him standing on those front door steps. You even wanted nothing more than to go back in time and stop yourself from opening this very door in the first place. Then you realized that this was not something that would disappear because you wanted it to. You needed to deal with this, for if you didn’t, you would keep wallowing in frustration and sadness. 

“What are you doing here?” you questioned dully. 

“We need to talk.”

“Then talk,” you simply told him. He scowled at your unwillingness to open the door further and let him in. 

“[Name],” Wufei sighed deeply. 

“Great,” you interrupted dryly before he could get much further. “You still know my name.”

His eyes flashed, his hand placed against the door before shoving it further open. You hadn’t foreseen such an action, getting caught off guard and giving him the opportunity he needed to succeed. While the door opened further, you were forced to take a step backwards, exposing yourself to him. Normally, that wouldn’t have been a problem. Now, though, you cursed yourself the minute you saw him stiffen, his shocked gaze landing on the bruises on your neck and cheek. 

You quickly turned away, moving further into the house without bothering to try and close the door. What was the point to that anyway? He had seen the damage. He knew something had happened. You were halfway through the house when you felt his touch, turning you with one simple pull. You had flinched, though, the moment his fingers had wrapped around your arm. 

“Who did this?” he questioned, his tone hard and unyielding. You harshly pushed his hand away, freeing yourself from his hold.

“Someone who’ll think twice about doing it again,” you merely stated, taking a step backwards in a desperate need to create more space between you and him. 

“Tell me who, [Name]. I’ll make sure there won’t be a next time,” Wufei growled out. You raised an eyebrow in contemplation, recognizing a promise when it was offered to you. 

“What will you do? Threaten him? Return the favor? Lock him up for God knows how many days?” You shook your head. “Believe me. He’s the one who’s hurt the most.” Wufei was silent for a long while, his gaze steadily focused on your neck, as if he thought that your by now dark purple bruise was mocking him with its presence. You rolled your eyes at that thought. As if a bruise could mock anyone. “If you don’t believe me, look him up. They told me he should still be in the hospital until this Thursday.”

Those words managed to grab his attention, his gaze finally shifting away from your bruises. His angered eyes searched your own, trying to gauge if you were lying or not. You merely looked at him with a steady gaze of your own. There was no lie in your words. You knew Jason would be hospitalized until then. The police had informed you of that. 

“Who?” he once more repeated, his voice unyielding. 

You sighed, wondered how long he would push this, before realizing he wouldn’t rest until he got the answers he wanted from you. Your experience with him taught you as much. You shook your head in exasperation as you turned off the television, knowing you weren’t going to enjoy the rest of your movie any time soon. 

What bothered you was that you realized that, even if he knew who had done this to you, he wouldn’t let this go. He was like a dog with a bone. Quite a sight; him, lying at your feet, holding a bone, waiting for you to show him some affection. Yeah. Very hilarious. 

Some of your thought’s must’ve showed, for his eyes held a curious shine, and you knew the question that was lying on his lips. You quickly masked your amusement, hiding it before it got to be too obvious that you weren’t paying him much attention. 

“Jason,” you stated in an even voice, unwilling to show how much that name still affected you. His eyes narrowed when you finally revealed the identity of your attacker.

“When?” he growled in a soft voice, his anger clearly detectible. You shivered, remembering all too well how much that voice could change, how it could deepen in other things than anger. You turned towards your porch, moving outside, knowing he would follow you without needing to be told. 

“He was there when I got home, convinced that it was time we settled our differences.”

“Meaning he pushed you against the wall with his hand around your throat.”

You laughed, though it sounded hollow even to your own ears. 

“Oh, no. That didn’t happen until after he slapped me across the face.” His angry growl was all the answer you got. Maybe you shouldn’t have mentioned that little detail? You smiled sadly as you sat down on one of the chairs standing there, your gaze focused on the lake as you preferred it over the look that would undoubtedly be on Wufei’s face. “The bastard thought I was still as meek as when I first met him.”

“You should’ve called the police as soon as you saw him.”

You didn’t like being lectured on what you did wrong. You knew you should’ve done that, knew it was the logical thing to do, but that didn’t mean you liked it. You had wanted to prove that you could protect yourself, that you weren’t that weak girl you had once been. 

“Should’ve? Maybe,” you agreed with a shrug. “He wanted to talk though,” you muttered to yourself, remembering what Jason had told you. 

“Talk?” It was clear Wufei didn’t believe that. 

You hummed as you watched a bird fly over the lake before it disappeared into the trees. “In his defense, he did talk,” you stated softly, looking almost pensive. “He talked for a good minute or so before he figured he was fed up with talking and needed more action.”

Another growl reached your ears, and you shook your head to clear it. For the first time since you had walked outside, you looked at him. You expected the hard to read expression in his eyes. It made him look as if he expected you to hold something against him even if you didn’t.

“I refused,” you continued, ignoring him again. “He slapped me. I hit him in return. He grabbed me around the neck and pushed me against the wall and then I retaliated.” It was quiet for a while, Wufei not offering you any response. You offered him a sad smile as your eyes unfocused, seeing the past instead of the present. “I hope he thinks it was worth it.”

“Nothing’s worth assaulting a woman!” was Wufei’s gruff answer. 

“You think?” you questioned, still lost in your memories. You smiled again, though, this time it came across as dangerous. “I think I overpriced him then. After all, most men get a kiss for free,” you stated thoughtfully. You blinked a few times when an angry grunt made you focus on the man in front of you, watching him as you waited for what he would do next. 

After clenching and unclenching his hands a few times, he finally released a shaky breath. He seated himself in the chair next to your own, pressing his face against his hands, and allowing his elbows to rest on his knees. After releasing another shaky breath, this one sounding more controlled, he finally raised his head again and caught your gaze. 

“I should’ve been there for you,” he stated softly, shaking his head briefly before lowering his eyes again. It was obvious that he though this to be his fault. You narrowed your eyes, glaring at him for voicing such stupidity. 

“Why?” you snarled. “So you can fight my battles? I don’t think so!” His gaze rose faster than you could blink, meeting yours with a glare of his own. When the staring contest seemed to last longer than you wanted it to, you sought to put an end to this. “If that’s all you need, you can leave now.” Your words made his glare all the fiercer. 

“No, that’s not all I need!”

“Then tell me what it is you need so you can go.”

“Why are you doing this?” he questioned, scowling when he couldn’t find the reason for it. You narrowed your eyes, lifting your chin in defiance, and while completely ignoring his question, stated, “There’s much you don’t know about me.”

He pushed himself upright again, walking a few feet away from you before turning to face you once more. His eyes seemed to hold a dangerous storm, raging with emotions and thoughts that conflicted with one another. You swallowed, avoided his gaze, and stood before walking towards the other side. You felt a need to create a distance between you both. 

“How can I know when you won’t let me in,” he stated calmly. Too calmly even. You froze in place and without turning around, answered him, “Why should I?”

“I can’t help you if you don’t.”

“I don’t need your help. I’m fine.”

“You haven’t been fine in a long time and you know that. How much longer are you willing to keep on running from this?”

You bit down on your lip, hoping to keep the words that threatened to come out from escaping you. It wouldn’t do you any good if you lost your temper and let your emotions run free. You would only say things you would come to regret if you did so. 

“I’m not running,” you finally stated in a barely controlled voice. “I’m merely understanding something I was too blind to see.”

“And what is that?” You turned your head slightly, looking at him from the corner of your eyes, but you held your silence. He seemed to grow restless because of it, the muscle in his jaw twitching, warning you to not keep him waiting for much longer. But instead of answering his question, you asked one of your own.

“Why did you want me?”He looked unsure, not quite grasping what you were asking him. “Why me when you’re obviously one of the most lusted after men I have had the pleasure of meeting?” He blinked, a quick flash of surprise shining in his eyes. Then he scowled, obviously not thinking too highly of being described like that. Though it also could’ve been the fact that you were questioning his choice. 

“If you think I prefer those tacky, superficial women –”

“I think you don’t know what you want,” you stated, interrupting him before he could finish. The memory of a woman you hadn’t seen the face off flashed before your eyes. All you saw was the closeness of their bodies, the way he had leaned towards her, … 

You narrowed your eyes, once more strengthening your resolve. Whatever it was he wanted from you, it wasn’t what you were willing to give. You would not be played a fool twice!

“You think I’m not sure about this?” he questioned, slowly sounding convinced, as if he was starting to figure you out. “Or are you so uncertain about yourself that you think I merely want this because of Duo and that bet?” You clenched your jaw when he said that, unwilling to acknowledge that the bet had a lot to do with your current doubts. He moved closer and you allowed him to do so, refusing to back down from this. “Do you think that lowly about your own friend that you believe him to set you up like that?”

“No,” you easily stated, completely sure Duo would never do something like that.

“Then you think lowly about me for believing I’m anything but honest about my feelings for you.” There was a flash of pain in his gaze, maybe even some regret, but you weren’t sure. 

“Your actions spoke for you,” you growled, finally turning more fully towards him, allowing him to see the anger you held on to which you used to cover up the pain. 

“Which actions?” he questioned, stopping his approach. He had already crossed more than half the distance that had been separating you both. You felt a need to create a barrier between you and him, but there was little you could do except cross your arms in front of your chest. It was clear he came to a realization, his jaw clenching even as his lips thinned in disappointment. “You honestly think I didn’t want to stay?!” he questioned heatedly. 

“I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about that woman. The one you were so preoccupied with five nights ago,” you snarled. It was obvious he was startled by your words. You shifted your weight form one foot to the other, feeling uncomfortable as you waited for him to defend himself. 

He sighed sadly, rubbed his temples as if he felt an oncoming headache appearing, before softly stating, “It wasn’t like that.”

You scoffed, unwilling to believe him. “I don’t want to hear it,” you muttered as you decided you had had enough of this. You wanted to move away, to escape his presence. He, however, didn’t let you go. You jumped in surprise when you were suddenly and quite forcefully pressed against the side of your cabin, Wufei’s hands planted on either side of your head. His eyes captured your own, unwilling to let you escape, just as his body trapped you in place. 

“You are going to hear it,” he whispered dangerously calm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized I always write him so stubborn XD Hehehe. I do realize how evil it is of me to stop at this point. Should I apologize for it? :3 
> 
> I want to aks you guys one thing: considering this story is getting closer towards its ending point, anything you guys think it still think it needs? Anything you felt should be deeper explored or deserves a chapter regarding a certain mood or moment? Let me know, 'kay? ^_^


	21. Chapter 21

“You are going to hear it,” he whispered dangerously calm. 

Your eyes widened, your mouth opening to form words you didn’t know, perhaps a reply that would force him to release you, but one look from him, and you closed it again without pronouncing anything. 

“Nothing happened.” You growled in disbelief. He, however, merely shot you a look that told you to let him finish. “She was my responsibility. I was to protect her until the threat was caught.” You looked away, your eyes narrowed and unwilling to focus on him. 

“Maybe I can understand that, but that still doesn’t explain why you were kissing her.” 

He pulled back slightly, something you welcomed with open arms. You felt less like your personal space was being invaded. It, however, didn’t last long enough. 

“I never kissed her,” he stated resolutely. 

“So I didn’t see you sticking your tongue in her mouth?” you questioned mockingly, your frazzled emotions making you almost vicious in your choice of words. “What?” You didn’t give him much chance to defend himself, merely kept throwing words at him. “Shocked that I saw?” You kept focusing on your anger, kept hoping it was enough to stop you from acknowledging your body’s whishes, whishes that weren’t keeping their voices as silent as they should be. “So what? She decided you weren’t what she wanted after all? Threw you out? And now you’ve come back to finish that bloody bet you made because your damned honor is too strong to resist?!”

“I has nothing to do with honor and everything with you!” It was clear you were pushing him beyond his control. His voice was low and dangerous, the storm in his eyes having risen in intensity. You were actually shocked by his outburst. 

“And I’m supposed to believe that?” you questioned, though you were quite upset with how soft and weak your voice sounded. It was almost as if you were giving up on the fight. 

“Nothing happened, [Name].” A soft smile slowly lifted his lips ever so slightly, an affectionate light warming those onyx eyes of his. “I was too consumed with someone I have no intention of letting go.” You suddenly found it very difficult to breath. Your heart seemed unsure what to do in response to those words. It kept skipping beats, creating an almost painfully tight feeling inside your chest. Wufei took a deep breath, his gaze focusing on your bruised cheek. “I saw you leave,” he stated regrettably. “And I did nothing to stop you.”

“You did what you wanted,” you simply stated, looking away from him. His eyes flashed in reaction, the warmth from before disappearing beneath the obvious frustration. 

“I did what was needed. Had I done what I wanted, I wouldn’t have let you leave at all,” he stated sorrowfully. “Or at the very least, I would’ve followed.” You couldn’t stop the reaction those words drew from you. You wanted to believe him. You really did, but it was hard. His eyes darkened slightly, a hard tint growing in them. “I’m here now because of what I want,” he stated in an even voice, not even a hint of embarrassment or remorse in his voice. Your eyes widened as you understood what he was saying. Slowly, you started to believe him. Maybe you had been fooled by the angle of which you had been looking?

“And what is it that you want?” you felt compelled to ask him, speaking your words with surprising calmness. He answered you within the second, “You.”

“And if you can’t have me?” You needed to know how deep his motivation ran, needed to know how far he would go for you.

“I’m used to working for what I want,” he answered you honestly. You licked your suddenly dry lips, swallowing again to try and hydrate your parched throat. A shaky breath left your mouth while your heart thumped even faster than before. His eyes shifted from your bruised cheek to your discolored throat, a look of indecision rising in his eyes.

“The kiss he took,” Wufei began, an undertone of loathing to his voice. You didn’t let him finish, though. You couldn’t deny it any longer. You had missed him ever since he had walked out of your door, a feeling that hadn’t disappeared as you had hoped. Now you felt that need again, a need to feel him as close to you as you could. You crossed what little space remained between you two and slanted your lips over his. You truly wanted to give in to the need, to let your kiss be rough and passionate, but you controlled yourself just in time. 

You kept it soft and slow, allowing yourself the moment to fully experience how he caressed your lips with an aching show of love and joy. His body leaned closer against your own, using it to shield you from the elements. You hadn’t realized how much you had missed this until now. Your legs shook, your knees ready to give out from under you. The only thing that kept you upright was the wall behind you and his body in front of you. 

Your hand fisted in his jacket, holding him close, almost as if you were afraid he would pull away too soon to your liking. He, in return, placed one hand on your hip, almost as if he was ensuring himself of the same thing. Then he did something that made your heart skip in joy. After pulling back from the kiss, he ghosted his lips across your bruised cheek, lightly moving them over the injured flesh so as not to cause you anymore pain. He only stopped when he reached your ear. 

“I’m in love with you,” he stated in an almost tender whisper. How long had you been waiting to hear those words? How long had you been dreaming of hearing him say them? You shivered slightly, tightening your grip on his jacked in response to his confession. You rested your forehead against his neck, the warmth of his skin seeping into your own. You breathed in his scent, accepting the feeling of safety and happiness that you experienced. 

It was quite a while later that you finally moved your arms. You let go of his jacket and slowly moved your arms inside it, letting them wrap around his waist. 

“Aren’t you warm?” you questioned when you felt the heat radiating from his body. 

Wufei only grunted in answer, but you weren’t sure if it was in denial or agreement. You hesitated for a brief second, before slowly pulling back and looking up at him. Then you just took the chance, figuring it didn’t matter all that much, and began pushing his jacket off his shoulders. At first, he didn’t help you in any way, remaining unmoving as he kept his one hand on your hip and his other against the wall. Then, as if he finally realized how warm he truly was, he pulled his arms back and allowed you to slip the jacket off completely. You let the material fall to the ground, not even bothering to toss it to the side so it could land on one of the nearby chairs. Wufei sighed once the jacket was off, wordlessly agreeing that it had been too hot.

“Any other piece of clothing you want to remove?” he questioned teasingly. You felt torn, unsure if it would be too soon to admit that you had no such problem. In the end, though, you wanted to know how far he was going to let you go with this. 

“Make up sex?” you questioned softly, trying very hard to keep your thoughts from shining through. Wufei grunted in surprise, slightly pulling back as his gaze searched your own. You offered him a sly smile. “I hear it’s so much better than the usual kind.”

Wufei snorted in amusement. “Who told you that?” he questioned curiously, though you suspected he was merely humoring you. You shrugged in answer. “I’m not sure anymore. Forgot his name,” you whispered, offering him a hesitant smile. That smile quickly broadened when Wufei gently cupped your good cheek, his thumb caressing the skin ever so tenderly. 

“I’m sure it was Duo,” he stated, his tone letting you know what he thought about that. It actually drew a heartfelt laugh from you, a sound he seemed to enjoy hearing. 

“Could be,” you whispered once you had calmed down. “It does sound like something he would suggest.”

A smirk tilted Wufei’s lips upwards, a sight that made you want to lean forward again and allow your lips to be pressed against his own once more. Your mind whispered words of encouragement to that idea, whispers you didn’t mind listening to. 

“I’m more than willing to find out,” you softly stated, almost hesitantly. His eyes flashed, the heat in them becoming more noticeable. 

“Do you really?”

He was wasting his breath, you decided. There were more far more enjoyable things you could be doing that wouldn’t require his mouth to form words … Or at least, not that many words ... 

“This your way of telling me you don’t?” you boldly shot back, a smirk of your own tilting your lips upwards. 

He growled softly, the heat in his eyes rising. You didn’t have to wait long before he finally leaned down, kissing you gently. He teased your lips apart before slipping his tongue into your mouth, exploring your mouth lazily; each movement of that skilled muscle sending shivers up your spine. When he pulled back, you couldn’t help but stare him in the eyes. You were breathless but happy, your pleasantly tingling lips forming a smile only that had been absent for quite a while. 

“What do you want, [Name]?” he questioned softly. Your smile slowly slipped away as you thought about your answer. 

“What I want?” you repeated in thought. You didn’t have an answer ready for him, but Wufei patiently waited, his affectionate gaze never straying. You, however, let your gaze shift towards the lake, the distant trees, the barely visible door of the porch. After a long time, you came to a decision. You sighed and nervously stated, “A long soak in the Jacuzzi.”

It wasn’t what he had been expecting if the surprised expression on his face was anything to go by. 

“A soak in the Jacuzzi?” he shot back bemusedly. Then he did something that made your smile grow wider again; he laughed full out. 

“Anything else?” 

“Well,” you began, looking thoughtfully. There were a few things you wanted actually. “I would like some blueberry pancakes,” you paused briefly, hoping to create a dramatic effect, “but those can wait until after,” you purred. 

“After?”

“After you.”

You didn’t have to explain what you meant with that. His very satisfied if not slightly expectant smile, one you instantly enjoyed seeing, clued you in on the fact that he knew exactly what you meant. Your hands slowly slipped under his shirt, teasingly caressing his abs as you moved your hands over his flesh towards his back. This, you decided, was so much better than watching movies by yourself. 

Without too much incentive from you, his own hands soon traveled up and down your body, bringing you impossibly closer towards him while caressing whatever skin they could reach. It didn’t take long before you were moving towards the bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think? Was it worth the long wait? Did Wufei act like you expected from him? Or did you feel slightly left unsatisfied?


End file.
